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These Cops Were Right To Break The Rules
- Two officers respond to a scene in Chicago in which five people were shot in a drive-by, including an eleven-month-old child.
- The officers break regulations and rush the kid to the hospital, saving his life.
- Sadly, the childs mother and grandmother died at the scene.
- The two police officers downplay that what they did was heroic.
Chicago (CNN) On an early fall evening last September, Chicago police officers John Conneely and Mike Modzelewski heard the call of shots fired go out over their radio.
Partners for about a year, they had responded to dozens of shootings together on the city’s violence-plagued south side.
However, the scene they would soon encounter was anything but ordinary.
“It was very chaotic,” Conneely said.
“When we first arrived, there had to be about a hundred people out on the street, screaming, crying, people yelling,” Conneely recently told CNN. “We had a person shot over here, we had a person shot over there, we had another person shot over here.”
The officers found five people shot, all victims of a drive-by shooting. One of them was 11-month-old Princeton Chew. Princeton’s pregnant mother and his grandmother were also shot and lay bleeding on the street.
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A woman came running up to both officers holding the baby. Modzelewski knew right away the baby had been shot.
“It’s an unreal situation. Borderline helplessness,” the 11-year Chicago police veteran said. “You’re not quite sure what to do. You want to take action, some kind of action simply because it is a child, and that’s pretty much what we did.”
The officers broke a department policy, opting to rush the baby to the hospital themselves in their squad car instead of waiting for an ambulance.
Conneely, who has been on the force for 17 years, said that with no ambulance in sight and Princeton losing blood quickly, the two had to take matters into their own hands.
“We both kind of looked at each other and said instinctively, ‘We gotta go. Let’s go.’ “
Conneely snatched the car keys from his partner’s hands and got behind the wheel.
Modzelewski, who has a son about a year older than Princeton, hopped into the backseat cradling Princeton, applying pressure to his wound for the roughly 9-mile drive to the trauma center.
“The first thing I did when I got in the car was get on the radio to a firehouse that I knew we were going to pass to see if there was an ambulance in quarters, and when the dispatcher got back to me and said there wasn’t, that’s when we made the decision to keep going,” Conneely said.
His next call was to Stroger Hospital.
“I radioed ahead to them to let them know we were coming in ‘hot,’ so to speak.”
Housing one of the largest and most comprehensive trauma centers in the United States, the hospital’s location straddles Chicago’s near west and south sides, some of the most violent parts of the city.
Stroger treats thousands of trauma victims every year. Conneely said his partner ran into the hospital and handed Princeton off to emergency personnel who were already waiting and ready to go.
Modzelewski now looks back on how he felt after handing the bleeding baby to doctors.
“It’s still kind of a feeling of helplessness because you want to ensure a positive outcome. We stuck around to make sure that happened and luckily, it did,” he said.
Princeton’s mother and grandmother did not survive, but residents in the Back of the Yards neighborhood where the mother and daughter lived, and died, are grateful for the split second decision made by the two officers.
“I wish his mother and grandmother survived but I’m grateful for what they did for that baby,” said Terrell Jackson, who was shot three times in the leg that evening.
The officers’ supervisors agreed, deciding not to punish them for violating a department policy.
“They made a decision, and honestly it goes against protocol to remove a victim from a scene unless it’s a dire circumstance,” a supervisor said. “As it turns out it probably saved a life.”
Princeton is now being cared for by family. No arrests have been made in connection with the shooting.
“It’s tragic,” Jackson said. “When you get older, this is one of those things you’ll sadly tell your own kids about.”
At a time when high-profile cases of abuse involving police often grab headlines, both the officers are grateful for the chance to keep one young life from being taken by the street, but they quickly downplay any talk of heroism.
“I don’t think it’s different from what many other men and women in law enforcement do, making a sacrifice. They’re on the street in the event a situation like this occurs,” Conneely said.
Still, he said “for us to be recognized, we’re both grateful. I had a guy, a complete stranger come up to me and say, ‘You’re the guy with the baby?’ I said yeah, and he shook my hand and said, ‘Thank you. Thank you for what you did.’ “
By Bill Kirkos and Ryan Young, CNN
27 Comments
hows all those liberal gun laws working out for you.all liberals are mental rejects and every city run by liberals is a death zone and ghetto,
Wonder if Obama will invite these two Humanitarian Hero’s to the White House and place medals around their necks?
They saved a life, and an innocent one at that…
COMMON SENSE ! they did exactly what they should have done. I am a retired police officer and if in the same situation, I would have done the same thing…Yes they are HEROES !
They did the right thing; their best decision at the time, and they saved a kid’s life.
It was tragic the mom and the grandmother did not survive, but in this case it was imperative the child should survive! These two men deserve medals!
The child would of died at the scene, if officers had not responded with comon sensibility.
polices are great guidelines but great and intelligent officers know when to ignore them or go around them
To protect and serve. Not to stand around. They had a good chance to save that child’s life and they did. Good for them.
This is what Good police officers do in every state every month. I would have done the same thing. They are real heroes!!
Our Lord Jesus commends and asks we all take care of those less capable. Children need such care is these situations.
Saving a live in an otherwise hopeless situation is commendable, not concerned about themselves and the rules but the child first, makes them Heroes!!!
When it comes o protectpeople they need to do what ever it takes. Yes, some times they do things that are not right but that goes along with helping people and doing their duty. People has gotten to the point where they think they can do whatever they want to do and not answer to what they have done.
Here’s a perfect case where if these officers were bound by a zero tolerance policy a young innocent would not survive. This one case makes up for a dozen situations where someone says his rights were violated by police. If Obozo doesn’t recognize these heros for what they did then he’s a total azzhole.
Two REAL Humans not the system .GOD will reward this two and all others that show love of human mortals. We need more that care They did right. thing. and anyone that says other wise well they know they are just Lazy and need to turn in their badges. They not want to be call HEROS how about HUMAN by do what anyone should have done. To me this Gentlemen were just being human. Meaning that they care about future of this country. Thank you Gentlemen and may GOD bless you . IN GOD WE TRUST.
Having been a police officer, sometimes situations arise where “the rules” don’t apply. In this case, their swift actions may have saved a life.
One young life can now live on. And maybe help some one else in need of help. God bless these officers for what they have done.
I would have done the same thing given the opportunity. It is not well known, but Illinois has had in committee for a long time now a law that, if passed, will not only make obtaining an Illinois Firearms Owner ID more difficult initially, but to renew it will require the gun owner to bring their firearms in for a serial number and a ballistics check. Just imagine what that will do to the street price of stolen firearms. “You are under arrest because we found your registered weapon at the scene. Oh? You say it was stolen? Well then you are under arrest for not reporting the theft.” For those living south of Interstate 80 and/or west of Interstate 39, we don’t count and our needs are basically ignored by our own elected representatives in Springfield because Chicagoland rules. And as for elections and the people that get elected? All one needs is a name and a piece of mail delivered to the address they claim to be living at in order to vote. It is amazing how many twin brothers and sisters can live at one mailing address, but election judges are not permitted to challenge for any other forms of ID in Illinois. The fact one might see the same face several times waiting to vote, well, that’s just politics as usual in Illinois.
they saved that childs life . thats the problem with gun control. the police carry guns to protect themselves. they show up at a gun crime to take a report ,haul off the bodys or call an ambulance. that is why we have the second amendment so you can protect yourself and your family
We have the second amendment so that the citizens can remove a tyrannical government by force of arms period!
The baby probably would have died had they not taken him right to the hospital.
There comes a time when the “rules” are counterproductive to making an intellegent, humane, decision. These two were Man enough to see the need, make the choice (between the “Letter of the Law,” and doing the Right, Humane, thing) They chose correctly. They should be commended. Their heroism is not so much in saving a life, (that’s their job, after all.) but in acting quickly and correctly, despite the necessity to “break the rules” and face the possibility of censure. We need more police like them out here.
jpritch@frontiernet.net
they protected and served and that action saved a babys life great job guys
First and foremost, I am not a paying member of this site.
Kudos to the officers for the save on the baby.
This story reeks of typical sloppy journalism.
Bits
Pieces
Hell, yahoo could have wrote this one.
This story could be a major, week long segment on national television..
Rules broke, why?
One officer could take the baby to the hospital.
Why did the other officer not try to stabilize the other two ladies bleeding out and dying?
Ask the questions, get the facts,
I am not, and yes I am questioning the officers’ decisions…..because this media source gives bits and pieces.
Give me the whole unedited story,
no left, no right
Let me be the judge.
They sworn oaths to protect and defend and save life’s. if that’s not part of their original mandate then they wouldn’t be police officers.
they should awarded and commended for above and beyond the call of duty!
They have to make decisions quickly. They relied on their training; and did the right thing.