# After the gunfight



## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

*After the gunfight*

There is an important aspect of officer involved shootings that remains uncertain, and that is how we should we deal with an officer in the immediate aftermath of a gunfight. We know where to start with an injured or wounded officer. They get immediate attention (often against the rules of triage) because "ours come first!" But what about the officer who survives this life-changing experience?









A friend was the night shift sergeant when one of his best officers (and close friend) was gunned down during a foot pursuit. The paramedics, as is normal, spent several minutes trying to stabilize the officer before rolling toward the hospital. The sergeant complained about the delay to no avail, until he insisted and reached for his gun. Suddenly, the paramedics decided driving was the best option. 
The sergeant rode along and told me he knew his friend was dead from shots to both his torso and head, yet he felt like he had to do something. So, he stuck his fingers in the torso wounds to keep his friend's blood from dripping onto the floor of the ambulance. He washed his hands raw for several days, but couldn't seem to get the blood off.
But, the sergeant's stress load was to get even heavier. Another officer was sent to the stricken officer's home to drive his wife to the hospital, but the driver didn't have the courage to tell her that her husband arrived at the emergency room DOA. He merely said her husband had been shot and was at the hospital. The wife, an RN, was mentally prepared to see her husband in bad shape with many wires and IV lines attached. She was not prepared to walk in and see him covered with a sheet. The sergeant caught her when she fell.

That sergeant instructs in a critical incident program I manage, and tells this story in every class. As tough street cops wipe away tears, you can see in his eyes that the sergeant needs to tell this terrible story. He desperately wants other officers to be better prepared for such a hellish night.

Full Article: http://www.policeone.com/officer-shootings/articles/1347225/


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