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Sometimes you don't even get the chance...
As usually I arrived at my station 20 minutes early so I could do my usual routine.
On any normal day I stop by the fuel pumps and fill up, then enter the station and check my box for reports and whatnot and then hit the front desk for the subpoena log to see if I have any court coming.
Well, at 2050 (850PM) I pulled into the rear of my station and got out of my marked unit. I took the fuel card out of my wallet and ran it through the fuel pump machine, punching in my odometer reading and selecting the same fuel pump I always do.
Routinely I started fueling up. While looking around, I took the time to take in the nice cool air while I could still enjoy it for the night. Standing at the fuel pumps in the rear of my station I then glanced beyond the chain-link fence and across the narrow 2 way dead end street to the local strip club that happens to be not 25 feet from the station, sharing the same thin road from the main thoroughfare.
Funny, a Police station was built directly across the street from a slum hole in the wall strip joint. Every time I fuel my car I think that same thing. Real estate is hard to come by, so I guess the County found land where it could.
My tank was halfway filled up and I was still thinking to myself…
PAP PAP PAP… PAP PAP PAP PAP PAP.. PAP… PAP
Gun shots rang out from what sounded maybe 200 yards away.
The only thing over there is a Gas station and a bank, separated by the strip club and a large open field with no lighting. I grabbed my hand-held mic and was about to get on the air to advise of the shots being fired when I noticed a purple car speeding northbound on the main avenue from the gas station, then that car made a sharp high speed turn on the small 2 way road right towards the police station.
That car came to a screeching halt not 20 feet away from me, between me, the chain link fence and the strip club.
The driver threw open the door and tossed a gun to the floor as he stumbled out of the car and staggered five feet from his vehicle and finally collapsing in the middle of the roadway.
I dropped my fuel pump on the spot and ran as fast as I could to him.
From what I could tell, he was shot once in the back at an angle which entered through the middle of his right shoulder blade and angled towards the center of his chest with no exit wound in the front. What that meant was that he was shot, the bullet was still inside him and he was most likely bleeding internally as there was no blood coming from his wound.
I got on the air, “Dispatch, I need rescue in emergency mode reference a male shot in the back. I’m at the rear of my station in front of the strip club. I need aviation up and I need all available units to secure two scenes, break”.
The dispatcher took several seconds to respond to me, finally asking me to continue.
“I need units at the gas station just south of the station to secure the scene, I want everyone stopped from entering and exiting. I need units at my location to…”
Just then a large crowd started forming around the victim and the gun.
I grabbed a pair of gloves from my gun belt and put the gun inside a glove, running to my trunk and throwing it inside. Guns have a nasty habit of walking away from crime scenes, especially when there are large crowds forming.
I ran back to the victim and got back on the air, “I need the rest of the units to respond to my location and help control the crowd. Start my Sergeant, Media relations and a Detective.”
I was now crouched over this man, who looked to be about 20. He had rolled onto his back and was looking up at the sky, which is never a good sign.
I grabbed his hand and said, “Hey, whats your name”.
I got no response so I tried a different route, “Do you know what happened?”
Nota. He wasn’t going to tell me squat.
“Hey look, I’m trying to help you, did you see who shot you?”
His only reply was “Brown shirt”.
I got on the air, “Dispatch, be advised that the subject is possibly wearing a brown shirt”.
Its all I had to go on.
Just then a car pulled in behind me. A guy said he saw everything. He gave me a better BOLO and I added that to my initial one.
Then the world showed up. I had every unit you could possibly imagine come on scene and help control both ends.
The guy on the floor squeezed my hand tightly and had ‘the stare’ in his eyes.
He said, “Officer, I’m gonna die. I’m gonna die. I’m hurt and I can’t feel my legs anymore”.
He was describing perfectly the symptoms of going into ‘shock’. Shock occurs when you either lose a massive amount of blood quickly or you have internal injuries that are leaking excess blood into your system, both ways cause your organs to shut down system by system. It’s the second to last step before visiting the great beyond…
…and there is not a thing I could do.
“Partner, you’re going to be okay. You have to be strong, your going to be fine. Hey! keep talking to me, you have to stay awake. You gotta stay awake. Don’t sto..”
Rescue arrived as I was trying to keep him from passing out, which is the last phase before not waking up every again.
They immediately took over and starting poking and probing as they always do. The helicopter landed shortly afterwards and my victim was off to the county hospital.
The unit that I sent to the hospital to check on the victim called me from the Operating room.
My victim didn’t stay awake long after he arrived at that hospital..
The detectives showed up at the Gas station first and reviewed the video footage the store owner had.
The entire thing was caught on Camera. Start to finish.
This wasn’t an accidental shooting, this was a ‘hit’.
I didn’t make it into the station until it was time to go home for the day. I spent my entire shift 20 feet from my stations parking lot.
One of my partners saw the look on my face walking into the station and gave me a hug.
This would be the second kid I had die on me in a week.
No one said this job was easy.
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