Users online praised a police officer after she ran through Time Square to save the life of a four-year-old gunshot victim on Saturday.
Alyssa Vogel, a New York police officer, is being praised online after she helped save the life of a four-year-old girl who was shot on Saturday, May 8, 2021, in Times Square.
Body camera footage was released to the media that showed Vogel holding four-year-old Skye Martinez as she ran through Times Square to an ambulance that was parked further down the street.
Alyssa Vogel pictured talking to CBS about the shooting, 2021, Times Square. | Photo: YouTube/CBS New York
Police believe Skye and the two other victims, a 23-year-old tourist, and a 43-year-old woman, were shot by 31-year-old Farrahkan Muhammad on West 45th Street and 7th Avenue.
All of the victims are currently out of the hospital and expected to make a full recovery. Vogel spoke to CBS New York about the incident and what made her act so heroically:
"I was looking at her and just saying, if this was my kid, I would be running her myself to the hospital or ambulance."
Although Vogel believes it was a team effort and she was doing her job, many Twitter users are calling her a hero. One user wrote that Vogel had acted selflessly and that she did not panic but rather reacted to save a life.
Vogel is an alumnus of Bellmore JFK High School, and the alum Twitter account, the school's principal, and other alum all praised Vogel's heroic efforts. Principal Gerard Owenburg wrote that the school was very proud of her.
Vogel then sprang into action and ran the injured girl to a nearby ambulance.
New York reporter, Michael Schwartz, shared that he went to high school with Vogel. He wrote that Vogel was what a police officer should look like, and he was proud that her heart existed in the world.
Many people who heard Vogel's story were blown away by her bravery and response to the situation. A Twitter user named Jacques summed up the feelings of most when he wrote:
"Alyssa Vogel of the New York PD you are a champion in my eyes God bless you probably saved that child."
Vogel's quick reaction to the shooting possibly saved Skye's life. The officer explained that when she arrived on the scene, a fellow officer explained that they needed a tourniquet to stabilize the girl's leg.
Vogel had one in her gun belt. The officers placed it on her leg, above the wound. Vogel then sprang into action and ran the injured girl to a nearby ambulance, with the girl's mother and family following closely behind her.
Skye had been toy shopping with her family when a man in dispute with other individuals fired off gunshots. Police believe the three victims were all innocent bystanders.
As of Monday, Police are still looking for the person of interest. Muhammad is known to police and was arrested last year for assault. Investigations are underway into a possible motive for the tragic act of violence.
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