'It's humbling:' West Chester police officer's heroic actions save shooting victim
"It's a good feeling. It's pretty cool. It's humbling, I guess you could say," said Officer Aaron Davis.
WEST CHESTER, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- A West Chester police officer is being hailed as a hero for saving a man's life after he had been shot.
Officer Aaron Davis said the shooting happened on High Street during the early morning hours of January 22.
He was nearby, monitoring the bars after the Philadelphia Eagles beat the New York Giants in the NFC Divisional Round.
"(The bars) cleared out early and that's usually a good sign for us," said Davis.
But fate would have it a man would be shot near the historic courthouse steps.
Davis and all his skills would be needed.
"All of a sudden, I hear this loud bang off of my left shoulder," said Davis.
He immediately took action amid the chaos that was unfolding.
"I approached him and said, 'Are you hit?' He said, 'Yes, yes, yes.' I noticed there wasn't any bleeding and that's a bad sign," said Davis.
The victim was bleeding internally. That's when Davis instantly recalled a recent training exercise with Navy trauma specialists.
"If you could simply keep the person from bleeding out on the battlefield - stop the bleeding, get them somewhere they can take care of the injury - they have a good chance of survival," said Davis.
So, he got the victim into his car and hit the gas toward Chester County Hospital.
His quick actions saved the man's life.
"It's a good feeling. It's pretty cool. It's humbling, I guess you could say," said Davis.
On Thursday, Chief Jim Morehead said medical teams told him that if Davis waited for an ambulance, the victim wouldn't have made it.
But he's not surprised by his officer's work.
"He makes us proud and I think he spins off on the other officers as well. They see the acts that go on all the time. They want to be part of that as well. Greatness breeds greatness," said Morehead.
The chief also says he's proud of his other officers who placed the suspect, 22-year-old Vaughn Yanko, into custody just minutes after the shooting.
As for the victim, Davis said when he's ready he'd like to meet him.
"I'd really like to shake his hand and give him a hug," said Davis.
