Tampa attorney who shot at suspect attacking Hyde Park jogger recognized by police: 'I'm certainly humbled'
TAMPA, Fla. - The Tampa Police Department recognized an attorney for saving a woman who was attacked by a man who was homeless in Hyde Park back in May.
Charles McKeon was one of four people to receive the Chief's Appreciation Award Thursday. TPD gives the quarterly award to "citizens who went above and beyond in assisting officers to solve a crime, assist in capturing suspects, or even save the life of another citizen."
"I'm certainly humbled by it," McKeon told FOX 13. "But I'm also a little embarrassed by it, frankly, because I think we did no more than anyone else would have done."
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"He keeps saying to me, ‘Anybody would do that.’ And I said, ‘no, not anybody would do that, because you really put yourself in a lot of danger to step in between that,’" the victim, who asked that we only identify her as Taylor, told FOX 13. "I just don't have any words to thank him."
Tampa police gave Charles McKeon the Chiefs Appreciation Award.
While walking in Hyde Park on May 5, Taylor said she saw the suspect, Esja Nodopa, 34, coming at her "aggressively."
Taylor said Nodopa pulled her ponytail from behind, slammed her to the ground, and punched her in the face several times.
McKeon was walking home from dinner with his wife and son, Dalton, who heard Taylor’s cries for help. The father and son ran towards Nodopa, who left Taylor and struck the elder McKeon in the head.
Charles McKeon embraces the woman he saved from the attack.
McKeon, who was armed, fired his weapon, but the shot missed Nodopa.
Dalton McKeon quickly stepped in to help his father when Nodopa came at them again.
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"He started saying something to God, something about God to me and my dad. And just walked away," Dalton McKeon told FOX 13 in May. "Just happened so quickly. It was over in a matter of like 30 seconds or a minute."
Esja Nodopa is the suspect who police say attacked Taylor.
"I still am very proud of what my son did," McKeon said on Thursday.
After Nodopa finally walked away, Charles McKeon said he followed him from a distance while on the phone with police, relaying his location. Officers arrested Nodopa near Rome Avenue and Bayshore Boulevard.
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"He really hurt me, and I’m not letting him rob me of beautiful things and the gratefulness that I have after that incident," Taylor told FOX 13 Thursday.
Charles McKeon and the woman he saved pose for photo with the award and law enforcement.
Instead of walking alone, Taylor said she now goes on walks with friends and encourages everyone to always be aware of their surroundings.
"She has just been so strong through this whole event and continues to be," McKeon said. "So I'm just really proud of the person that she is."
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"In a world where there's so many bad things that can happen, to see good people that will put themselves in a position like that is beautiful," Taylor said.
Nodopa remains in jail on battery charges and has a pretrial court date set for Sept. 19.