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Alderman Matt O’Shea honors 22nd District lifesaving response
n BY KAREN JENKINS
After a life-saving response from exemplary officers Matthew Alvarado and Marseilla Collins in the 22nd District on Aug. 30, Alderman Matt O’Shea knew it required a high-praise recogni- tion.
O’Shea noticed that local news networks covered the fatal shooting of a 31-year-old man at Lumes Pancake House in Mor- gan Park, but they neglected to highlight Alvarado and Collins’s fast-acting response to save the lives of four other individuals who were impacted by gunfire.
The alderman relayed that law enforcement arrived on the scene immediately, before the fire department was able to get there.
“[FTO Alvarado and new recruit Collins], who had only been on the job a short time, immediately ran to render medical aid to two different shooting victims,” O’Shea said. “Without their quick action, the individual may have bled out.”
After the shooting at the restaurant – where O’Shea promptly headed after receiving word of the incident — the alderman felt that the officers’ fearless and efficient life-saving efforts were not properly celebrated. So he decided to set up a meeting rec- ognizing Alvarado and Collins on Sept. 1.
The meeting featured comments from Commander Sean Joyce, O’Shea, Alvarado and Collins.
“We immediately went to those injured individuals,” said Al- varado, who has 14 years on the job. “With the type of injury the woman sustained, there was a high likelihood that without immediate intervention, she may have lost her life.”
“I immediately went to go render aid wherever was needed, to whoever was injured — that’s what I did,” added Collins, who only had seven days on the job at the time of the incident and was working with Alvarado as her field training officer. “Using the training I got from LEMART, I applied a wrap dressing and wrapped [the victim’s] foot up and applied pressure until EMTs arrived.”
Thanks to the lifesaving efforts of Alvarado and Collins, four gunshot victims were able to be transported in stable condition to Advocate Christ Medical Center and Little Company of Mary Hospital.
“These officers arrived on the scene before the Chicago Fire Department. They did not have time to wait. They had to react, they had to address this traumatic injury immediately,” O’Shea praised at the meeting on Sept. 1. “Chicago Police Officers, each and every day, put their lives on the line. And how lucky were we on Sunday afternoon in what was the darkest hour for five gunshot victims.”
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