The president of the union representing Columbus police officers credited the action of fellow officers in saving an officer who he said nearly bled out after he was shot by a suspect following a traffic stop.
Brian Steel, president of Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge #9, said the officer was shot twice, and survived only because other officers at the scene took quick action.
“They took one look at him, they saw the massive blood loss, they said ‘Every second counts,'” Steel said. “‘We’re gonna carry him in.’ They literally scooped him up, threw him in the cruiser, transported him to Grant.”
What happened in the April 29 Columbus shooting?
Columbus police said officers attempted to initiate a traffic stop at 7:19 p.m. at Hamilton and Minnesota avenues in North Linden, but the vehicle fled the scene. Officers located the vehicle unoccupied at 7:30 p.m., and about a minute later they encountered a male suspect at East 16th Street and Hamilton Avenue, Columbus police Chief Elaine Bryant said.
As the officers exited their cruiser to confront the suspect, he fired on police, Bryant said. Multiple officers returned fire. The suspect was struck and later died at a hospital, Bryant said.
Steel said the wounded officer was shot in both legs. One of the bullets struck the femoral artery in his thigh, Steel said. Despite this, he also fired at the suspect, Steel said.
Officers applied a tourniquet, rushed the officer to OhioHealth Grant Memorial Hospital, and physically carried him into the emergency department.
Union president describes ‘chaotic scene’
Steel, who also responded to the hospital, said it was “a chaotic scene.” He saw the officer as he was being stabilized to be brought into the operating room.
“I reached down, I put my hand on his face,” Steel said. “To say he was as white as a ghost and as cold as I ever felt … That hits, that hits home.”
“I put my hand on his cheek, I said, ‘Brother, we got this,'” Steel said.
Steel called the officer “an outstanding young man.” The officer’s name will not be released because he is the victim of a crime, Steel said. He said the officer had “a few years” experience.
Doctors explained that they were able to reconnect the officer’s artery in surgery, Steel said. He added that an assistant chief told him one of the doctors credited the tourniquet with saving the officer’s life.
The suspect was also brought to the same hospital.
“That’s not how it’s supposed to work,” Steel said. “It’s not good for both families. It is what it is. It happened. I know some officers were upset, but someone will figure that out.”
Steel added that it was likely the Columbus Division of Fire medics who transported the suspect did not know the officer was being rushed to the same hospital in the back of a cruiser.
Police have not identified the suspect, who was pronounced dead at the hospital at 8:43 p.m. Steel said he did not know about the suspect’s background or exactly why the traffic stop was initiated.
There was a heavy police presence at the hospital, including officers like Steel who arrived in support of the wounded officer.
“We’re a family,” Steel said. “I always say, ‘we all chew the same dirt.’ Whether you work North Linden, East Side, suburbs, it does not matter. … We all stick together in times like this.”
Public Safety and Breaking News Reporter Bailey Gallion can be reached at bagallion@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus police officer saved by quick action of fellow cops, union president says
Reporting by Bailey Gallion, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
