Philadelphia officers' actions saved lives during Northeast SEPTA bus stop shooting, commissioner says
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Philadelphia Police Officers Cristian Rodriguez-Hecht and Sean Burgess said they did everything they could to help the eight Northeast High school students who were shot last Wednesday at a SEPTA bus station at Rising Sun and Cottman avenues.
"Some were screaming for their mom, just horrendous. That time I triaged to see what I could help," Rodriguez-Hecht said.
The officers say they were headed to lunch when they got the call.
When they arrived on the scene and saw multiple kids on the ground screaming for help, their training kicked in and they jumped into action.
The officers said they applied tourniquets and even used belts to stop the bleeding. Doctors said their efforts saved the students' lives.
"I think we were second car there. First car there, he wasted no time, and he had a big back seat so we were able to pile in three kids in the back of his car, and that left us with a smaller number to have to work on until we could get another car there," Burgess said.
Rodriguez-Hecht did seven years in the Marine Corps and now is in the Pennsylvania National Guard. He has been on the force for more than six years. Burgess has been on the force for 10 years.
In a life-or-death moment, the officers stayed calm and did what they were trained to do.
In a press conference, Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said the officers' actions saved lives.
"When he went to the hospital the doctor would say, 'That tourniquet would ultimately help to save that child's life,'" Bethel said about Rodriguez-Hecht.
They say they were just doing their job as they talked the students through the trauma.
"I tell them it's going to hurt but it's what we are going to have to do, and one of the kids was guiding me, and he was actually telling me to put the tourniquet higher because he could tell where he was shot at," Rodriguez-Hecht said.
The officers said they got the students to different hospitals to avoid overwhelming one trauma center.
Looking back on the shooting, the officers remained humble and said it was a group effort.
"Just knowing the community came together in that way — under such short notice, unexpectedly, the worst case scenario — and came together that one time. … We weren't individuals — we were Philadelphia, and we were taking care of the kids," Rodriguez-Hecht said.
Three suspects are in custody in connection with the shooting, and police are seeking one more person.
