Sailor shot during robbery loses leg, expected to survive

33-year-old making progress in recovery, brother says

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A sailor shot during a robbery earlier this month had his right leg amputated, but is expected to survive, his brother said.

According to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, Brett Parks was shot in the parking lot of the Colony of Deerwood apartment complex.

Parks, 33, stationed at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, is a husband and father of a 16-month-old boy with a daughter on the way.

Parks had several surgeries after the shooting, including having a kidney removed.

Parks brother, Derek Parks, said Brett still has a ways to go in his recovery, but is making progress.

Witnesses said Parks was trying to stop the robber from getting away when he was shot.

"Brett's a hero at heart. Brett has always stood up for the guy that couldn't stand up for himself," said Derek Parks. "And gosh, we wish that this didn't have to happen, but that's who Brett is, and we're proud of Brett."

Police said 22-year-old Courtney Phillips was identified as the shooter by a witness. He was arrested and charged with aggravated battery causing great harm, armed robbery, two counts of driving without a license and resisting arrest without violence.