PETERSBURG, Va. -- A quick-thinking police officer is being credited with saving the life of one of two teenagers shot after they got off their school bus in Petersburg Monday.
“You could tell that he had been shot in the leg and... blood is just pouring out of his leg,” officer Michael Majors recalled.
Majors then bent down to speak to the 14-year-old boy.
"He looks right at me [and] says, 'Hey, I don’t want to die,'" Major said.
The young officer then reached down on his holster and grabbed a tourniquet.
“My training just kicked in from the Marine Corps and the Police Academy. I just took my tourniquet off my holster, put it on his leg,” he said.
The 14 and 15-year-old high school students were hit just minutes after getting off their school bus at Grant Street and Augusta Avenue around 3:15 p.m.
The shooter got away and no arrests have been made in the case.
Majors learned the impact of his quick-thinking decision Thursday.
“We received a phone call from hospital staff that because of your actions on that day, in applying that tourniquet, your actions are the reason why that young man is still alive today,” Petersburg Police Chief Travis Christian said.
Christian, who was at the scene of the shooting scene Monday Afternoon, spotted the tourniquet on the boy’s leg. It is not something issued by the department nor carried by every officer.
In fact, Majors paid for his out of his own pocket.
“That says a lot for the officers, it says a lot for the caliber of officers we have in our City,” Christian said.
Seconds after Majors applied the tourniquet, the bleeding slowed and stopped.
“We're proud of you, man,” Christian told Majors.
The chief is now investigating the cost of putting a tourniquet on the holster of every on-duty officer.
“Whatever the cost may be, it will be important enough for us to have it as a tool we use here in the City to save a life,” Christian said.
In addition, the department is also looking into specialized “Stop the Bleed” tourniquet training so officers are trained on how to use them.
“Oh it’s definitely a positive,” Majors said. “It’s a great Idea.”
If you have information that could help detectives, call Petersburg Police at 804-732-4222 or Petersburg/Dinwiddie Crime Solvers at 804-861-1212 or text the keyword pdcash followed by the tip and send to 274637.
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
