Modesto police officer says he forgives suspect who shot him, leaving him in 14-day coma
MODESTO - A Modesto man who left an officer fighting for his life has been sentenced to more than 180 years to life in prison.
The conviction and sentence stems from a 2021 search warrant where the suspect shot an officer, putting him a coma for 14 days. Doctors had to amputate the officer's leg.
CBS News Sacramento sat down with the officer, Mike Rokaitis, in Oakdale. He says he has no ill will to the man who almost took away everything from him and his family.
The past almost four years has changed not only Rokaitis' profession, but also his outlook on life.
"It's a very vivid memory," Rokaitis said, reflecting on the incident. "As odd as it is to say it, it was the highlight of my career. It was the most threshold thing to me as a street officer."
After a motorcycle pursuit back in August 2021, Modesto police were serving a search warrant in north Modesto. But as Officer Rokaitis went with his team to clear the house, shots rung out.
Rokaitis was shot twice -- once in his vest and another in the abdomen -- and was rushed to the hospital.
He started losing a lot of blood.
"I look at it as a second chance of life. I was very confident that, when I was getting transported in the back of the patrol car, that I was going to die," Rokaitis said.
"In that moment I prayed, asked for more time to be a father," he added.
Rokaitis endured a 14-day coma. Around day 10, his family made the tough decision to amputate his leg.
"Of course, I wish I hadn't been injured, hadn't lost my leg, hadn't been set on a different trajectory, but things happened the way they needed to," said Rokaitis.
Rokaitis made a full recovery, able to be with his daughter who was just 15 months old at the time.
"We were blessed with a son down the road," said Rokaitis. "I keep that in my mind always, that my responsibility in this life now is to be the best father that I can be."
The man who shot Rokaitis, Jesse James Brooks, was wanted on federal probation. Brooks was also shot by officers that August night and was arrested.
In late April 2025, Brooks was sentenced to 185 years in prison for three counts of attempted murder on a police officer and other charges.
"I was expecting a high sentence, but I know for myself and for my family, it is nice we don't have to think about court anymore and we can focus on life," Rokaitis said.
But for Rokaitis, he's forgiven Brooks, even when others didn't want to.
"One of the things I made clear in court is that it's not my responsibility to judge his actions. There are consequences under the law. God will judge his spiritual actions and what he does from this move forward, and I don't equate into either of those," said Rokaitis. "I remind myself that I'm here for my kids."
Rokaitis is still working in the police force, but is now doing more work behind the scenes. He's planning now for his daughter's birthday, something he is grateful to still be able to do.
Brooks also was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
