A San Diego sergeant, Anthony Elliot, was shot in the head back in December 2023. He, however, never lost consciousness and was even able to talk. Two years later, Elliot has returned to work, attributing his survival to his family.
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According to the Daily Mail, Sergeant Elliot, who also happens to be a former Navy sailor and SWAT team member, chased a suspect through a grocery store. He was chasing a suspect in a domestic violence case. The father-of-two, while chasing the suspect, was shot in the head after the latter jumped over a brick wall and fired a concealed weapon.
“He jumped a wall,” Ellito remembered. “I was right behind him. I didn’t even see the gun because of the angle. Next thing I know, I’m five feet away and he shoots me in the head.”
The bullet had pierced through his skull and burrowed into his brain. Surprisingly, Elliot didn’t lose consciousness and was even able to talk. It was, however, a very close call, as the bullet could have taken his life if it had traveled a bit further into his brain.
Elliot managed to hold on to nearby shopping carts to prevent a fall, which, according to him, can lead to fatal results. He would then give instructions to his squad, focusing on his family.
“Tell my kids daddy’s going to be okay,” Elliot told one of his fellow officers. “Tell my wife I love her. I wanted them to know I tried.”
‘I Feel Like I Got Shot In The Head’
Feeling he couldn’t move his left side, Elliot thought about his children, thinking it was the end. It was not. He was rushed to a local hospital and, while in the ambulance, he tried to call his wife, to no avail. According to him, she was getting some rest.
Anthony Elliot knew his fellow officers would arrive shortly at his house to deliver the news to his wife. He anticipated his wife would be traumatized after hearing he had been shot in the head. So, with his phone, he waited until the officers arrived and for his Ring camera to activate.
When three of his fellow officers arrived, Elliot spoke through his phone, with them hearing his voice from the Ring speaker.
“Hey a**holes, I’m watching you on Ring camera,” Elliot said. The officers were shocked to the core, with one of them saying, “Are you serious right now, Tony?” To which Elliot said, “Yeah, you guys are good-looking.”
Elliot would then warn his fellow officers that his wife would freak out over them being at her house. One of the officers asked Elliot, “How are you feeling?” Elliot, nonchalantly, answered, “I feel like I got shot in the head.” Laughing, one of the officers said, “Tony’s back to his normal self.”
Recovery
Sergeant Anthony Elliot defied the odds and survived this incident. Moreover, he managed to walk out of a Colorado hospital after being told he was to exit in a wheelchair. By January 2024, he was back in San Diego and could carry out most of his daily tasks.
Elliot continued brain therapy and pushed himself until September 2024, when he was back on the job. He worked a desk role with a SWAT unit for months. However, in May 2025, Elliot defied all odds and returned to his regular patrol.
Sergeant Elliot, however, doesn’t think working on graveyard shifts will be something he will do forever. He just wants to prove to himself that he can, and, eventually, move to a much safer job in the force. To him, the most important thing is his family.
“When I was dying, I wasn’t thinking about promotions,” Elliot said. “I was thinking about bedtime stories. That’s what matters.”
Elliot now speaks publicly about his experience. Most of all, he shares his love for his family and how thinking of them helped him survive an otherwise fatal incident.