Wednesday, October 23, 2024–10:00 a.m.
-David Crowder, WRGA News-
Five law enforcement officers were honored with lifesaving awards during Tuesday’s Floyd County Commission.
According to Floyd County Police Chief Mark Wallace, Floyd County Police Officer Jonathan Bodenheimer and Floyd County Sheriff’s Deputy Grant Jackson saved a man’s life while responding to a shooting call in the Lindale area on September 3.
“Together, Bodenheimer and Jackson applied a tourniquet to stop the bleeding from the victim’s leg and pelvis,” Wallace said. “What is extraordinary about this, is both of them were on the scene less than 94 seconds from when the call came in.”
Meanwhile, on September 13, a lookout was issued for a man who had abducted his girlfriend. Patrol officer Austin Webb had just left his home and was on his way to work when he heard the call.
“Austin Webb went to the area of the lookout, found the car, and pulled the car over,” Wallace said. “Acting alone, he was able to get the man, recover the firearms, and free the girl. Later, it was said that the man had planned on carrying the girl out of state to kill her and himself.”
On September 16, while off-duty, Sgt. John Overstreet provided emergency first aid to a man who had sustained severe trauma to both legs after being struck by a vehicle in the parking lot at Publix.
“Sgt. Overstreet used his shirt and belts from bystanders to apply makeshift tourniquets to the victim’s severely injured legs,” Wallace said. “Rome Police Department Sgt. Chase Burnes submitted a letter to the department and an accommodation regarding Sgt. Overstreet’s response, stating that his swift action and willingness to get involved almost certainly saved the gentleman’s life.”
Also honored Tuesday were PFC Cody Lanier and PFC Ethan Evans, who responded to a shooting call on Runway Drive in the city limits on September 21.
“When they arrived, they found a man unresponsive, lying in the street,” Wallace explained. “The victim had been shot through both legs. Cody and Ethan applied tourniquets to both legs to stop the profuse bleeding, and the man did survive the encounter.”
According to medical providers, without the tourniquets, the shooting victim would likely have not survived.
