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Cop Hears Grandma's Blood-Curdling Screams, 'Get My Baby!' Sees Boy's Body at Bottom of Pool

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Some people don’t have jobs. Rather they have lifestyles.

What I mean by that is that some individuals’ professions so inform their lives that they’re never really “off duty.” Their training influences every part of their existence.

Doctors and nurses fall into this category, as do first responders. And let’s not forget about police officers, particularly when it comes to one brave Mississippi cop.

According to the Hattiesburg American, Petal Police Patrolman LaDean Byrd was a world away from law enforcement on Aug. 4. On that day, Byrd was relaxing with his family in a Gulfport hotel hot tub.

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Chaos erupted without warning. As he lounged in the warm waters, Byrd heard a woman begin screaming, “Get my baby! Get my baby!”

Byrd jumped up and discovered a frantic grandmother perched at the side of the pool. The patrolman soon saw why.

A tiny body lay at the bottom of the deep end, unmoving and unresponsive. Another guest dove into the water and brought the child up, a boy.

Yet when Byrd examined him, the little one wasn’t breathing and didn’t have a pulse. “We almost lost him when he brought him up,” Byrd stated matter-of-factly.

He immediately began performing CPR on the child as someone else called 911. Byrd kept it up for eight excruciatingly long minutes until EMTs arrived.

Fortunately, the paramedics were able to get the boy’s heart beating again, and they transferred him to Gulfport’s Garden Park Medical Center. The Associated Press added that he had to stay on a ventilator until August 10.

The news only got better from there. According to Byrd, the doctors don’t expect the boy to have any lingering health issues.

“He is expected to make a full recovery,” he said. “He’s actually supposed to start school this week.”

Ironically enough, Byrd said that he and his family almost didn’t stay at the hotel. They’d had trouble with their reservations and had booked with another establishment, but had switched when a room became available.

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In fact, the only reason he and his family were in the hot tub was because they were waiting to fully check in. Also, the patrolman had never tried to save a drowning victim before.

“It was my first time doing CPR,” he said. “I was kind of a nervous wreck.

“I didn’t think about it. I just reacted.”

Still, Byrd doesn’t believe he deserves credit for saving the boy. “It’s not me. I’m not a hero.

“God put me in the right place at the right time. I used the training that I had been given through law enforcement and just reacted. … It’s totally an act of God.”

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A graduate of Wheaton College with a degree in literature, Loren also adores language. He has served as assistant editor for Plugged In magazine and copy editor for Wildlife Photographic magazine.
A graduate of Wheaton College with a degree in literature, Loren also adores language. He has served as assistant editor for Plugged In magazine and copy editor for Wildlife Photographic magazine. Most days find him crafting copy for corporate and small-business clients, but he also occasionally indulges in creative writing. His short fiction has appeared in a number of anthologies and magazines. Loren currently lives in south Florida with his wife and three children.
Education
Wheaton College
Location
Florida
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Entertainment, Faith, Travel




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