Page 52 - November 2019 FOP

CPD Officers team up with other first responders to save teen
n BY DAN CAMPANA
In the 6th District, Officer Christopher Fink and his fellow officers see plenty of people injured — including those vic- timized by gunfire.
“We see it a lot around here, a lot of people injured,” Fink explained. “You do what you can.”
But an Oct. 12 shooting stands out be- cause of the team effort by Fink, other of- ficers, firefighters, EMS and residents to save a 14-year-old boy struck twice in the chest by bullets not intended for him.
“When you see a 14-year-old boy that is scared and was in the wrong place at the wrong time, it makes you feel great [to save his life],” Fink described.
Officers from the Sixth and 22nd dis- tricts responded to a Shotspotter alert in the 8600 block of South Elizabeth. Upon arrival, they discovered two gunshot vic- tims, including the boy. Bleeding heavily, he could barely breathe. Fink called the scene “chaotic,” but training kicked in as one officer asked neighbors to grab tow- els. Fink applied combat gauze in an at-
tempt to slow the bleeding. His sergeant followed up with chest seal in an effort to help the boy’s breathing.
A medic located the second wound, which prompted the use of a second chest seal that helped stabilize the teen for transport to the hospital.
“You go through LEMAR training and you don’t know when you’ll have to use it,” Fink said at a press briefing before crediting the contributions of many for
the boy’s survival. “Everyone did their part. It’s a great feeling.”
Adding to that sentiment is the fact hat` first responders had been in contact with the boy’s relatives to learn he’s on a positive recovery path.
“His mother is very happy and she’s grateful,” Fink told reporters. “She’s just happy that her son gets to come home soon.”
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