Social Media Helps Police Find Man Who Saved Child From Drowning
WYLIE (CBSDFW.COM) - Like most community pools, there's no lifeguard at the Kreymer Estates pool in Wylie. Your best chance for help is a quick call to 911, which is why people in this particular neighborhood can be glad they've got someone around like Devonte Emory.
On Tuesday around 6 p.m., Emory was at the pool with a friend. He had seen a five-year-old boy on the steps. When he looked again, the boy was gone.
"I was standing up," he said. "I just looked down. His eyes were wide open. So like, were looking eye to eye. I just stared for a minute, because I thought he was just swimming. But he's not moving, so I just…"
Emory said he just grabbed the boy out of the water, put him on the deck, and started yelling for help. The boy was foaming at the mouth, he said. A woman came running over, they put him on a chair, and finally he came to and started crying.
That was the end of it - until Saturday. Wylie police posted a picture on Facebook of the man they knew had saved the boy, but they didn't know who he was.
Social media went to work. A friend sent the post to Emory on Snapchat. Then he jumped on Facebook and saw it for himself. He called the police department, and drove over for a visit.
He admits to being a little embarrassed by all the sudden attention, but now that he's been found out, all he really wants to do is find that little boy, who police said is expected to fully recover.
"Just give him a hug," he said. "Even though I don't know him, just give him a big ol' hug."
