Three Mission District police officers received recognitions of honor from the San Francisco Fire Commission on Wednesday for their teamwork in saving a boy’s life in October.
On Oct. 9, 2016, Officer Brandon Rock, Officer Raymond Fernandez and Officer Nadia Mohamed responded to the intersection of Valencia and 26th streets, where a 13-year-old boy had been shot while standing on the corner.
The officers immediately spotted his leg wound, which was bleeding profusely. Springing to action, Rock and Fernandez applied pressure, while Mohamed applied a makeshift tourniquet above the injury. Officer Fernandez then found a department-issued stretch-wrap-and-tuck tourniquet, which has been used by the San Francisco Police Department a number of times to help victims with gunshot wounds.
The officers secured the scene and aided the victim until paramedics arrived. The boy was transported to San Francisco General Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery. He survived the shooting, due in part to the officers’ speedy response to his injuries.
“I am very proud of these officers. Their actions exemplify why we’re known as San Francisco’s finest,” said Acting Police Chief Toney Chaplin on Wednesday. “These officers and their counterparts across The City routinely respond to urgent calls for help. In this case, it was a shooting with a child down. The officers’ first responder training and their timely application of the tourniquet were crucial components of the child’s survival.”
The officers have also been nominated for the San Francisco Police Department’s “Life Saving Award.”
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