The Florida police officer who was praised as a hero for dragging a wounded victim of the Pulse nightclub massacre to safety has been let go by his department.
Omar Delgado, a 45-year-old corporal with the Eatonville Police Department, was one of the first to respond to the Orlando club where on June 12, 2016, a gunman murdered 49 people and injured dozens more. It was the deadliest mass shooting in United States history until this year's Las Vegas country music festival shooting that left 58 dead.
Delgado was hailed as a hero for pulling victim Angel Colon, a 26-year-old Orlando man shot multiple times, to safety. Colon later told ABC News in an interview that he would have "bled to death" if not for Delgado's actions.
Delgado told WFTV in Orlando he was left with post-traumatic stress disorder following the massacre and was placed on light duty. He says a doctor found him unfit to return to patrol duty, something he suspects factored into his termination.
The officer says he was told by the Eatonville Police Department on Monday that his last day of employment will be Dec. 31--six months before he qualifies for a pension.
"They can't find it in their hearts to find six more months, just so I can be vested and then just move on with my life," Delgado told WFTV. "I needed help, and I guess I'm being punished because I asked for help."
Eatonville Police Chief Joseph Jenkins confirmed Delgado's dismissal but wouldn't comment on the details.
Source: abcnews.go.com
