If not for the quick actions by three Countryside police officers, a juvenile might have died in a stabbing.
Police officers Ian Dziallo, Kelly Kalker and Connor Rinehart responded quickly to a call, were cool under pressure and probably saved the youth’s life, Police Chief Paul Klimek said.
For their actions, each was presented with a Life Saving Award at the city council meeting on Jan. 28.
On Jan. 8, the three were summoned to a home because one juvenile had stabbed another, Klimek said.
“It was inside a residence. It was domestic related. I can’t disclose a lot of information because it involves juveniles,” Klimek said.
The officers found the stabbed youth bleeding “profusely” from “very serious wounds to the right arm,” Klimek said.
The youth was “barely able to talk to them and losing consciousness,” he said.
“We carry tourniquets. All officers do. So, they applied a tourniquet and then also put pressure,” Klimek said.
There was “a good chance” the youth would have bled out had the officers not arrived quickly, he said.
Asked if the stabber was lucky to have not killed the other youth, Klimek replied, “Yes.”
There was an arrest made, but Klimek was not able to reveal the name or charge.
The three officers “were a great example of excellent teamwork,” he said “They did a great job of keeping their composure under a stressful situation,”
Mayor Sean McDermott said the city has “law enforcement officers who are highly trained, highly professional and do the right thing.”