A sheriff’s deputy has been praised for his response in saving the life of a 12-day-old baby who had stopped breathing.
Deputy W. Kimbro was conducting a routine traffic stop for speeding in Summerville, S.C., on June 11 when the infant started turning blue.
The driver immediately got out of the car and alerted the officer to the baby, according to a Facebook post from the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office.
Heart-stopping bodycam footage captured the deputy’s efforts to revive the baby as he checked for a pulse, massaged the newborn’s chest and cleared its airway.
The mother told the deputy the baby had stopped breathing after drinking from a bottle.
The officer continued first aid until paramedics arrived and took over.
“Deputy Kimbro took the baby’s limp and cyanotic body and performed lifesaving first aid,” Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office wrote in the post.
“As a result, he was able to get the baby to breathe again until EMS could arrive.”
Because of Deputy Kimbro’s “steadfast, professional and heroic response” he was awarded the Life-Saving Medal.
“When we wear the uniform and badge, we become what someone needs at that moment,” the sheriff’s office wrote.
“For one deputy that meant he needed to become the line between life and death for one young child.”
