The Conversation
Police Officer Saves Baby, Hailed A Hero
Sgt. Harold Drummond is being hailed a hero for saving a baby who stopped breathing last month.
While he rightfully earned the title, for him, it was one of the most terrifying moments of his life.
"I would prefer to look down the barrel of a gun than to look down at a baby in distress," Drummond, a sergeant with the Waynesboro Police Department in GA, told WRDW-TV.
The family was on the way to a nearby children's hospital when six-month-old AJ Sherrod, who was suffering from a respiratory infection, stopped breathing. So, they pulled over and immediately called 9-1-1. Drummond happened to be the closest officer to the scene and could get there faster than EMS.
Stunning bodycam footage shows Drummond literally jumping out of his car when he gets to the family. He quickly takes AJ in his arms. He then performs two-finger infant CPR until the baby starts breathing again.
You can hear Sgt. Drummond say, "There you go, that's what we want to hear," when the baby starts crying.
"As I was looking down at that baby, I was looking at my grandson. I was looking at my children." Drummond said.
Drummond, who has only been a sergeant for two years, said he'd never had to use his life-saving skills before, only in training.
Despite his nerves, he was able to get the baby breathing again and helped to comfort the parents until the paramedics arrived.
AJ is a twin, and his parents couldn't imagine what his sister's life, and their own, would be like without him.
The family visited Drummond at the station a few weeks after the incident to thank him again for saving their son.
"Words can't describe how grateful and thankful we are," AJ's mother Angel Collins said.
We're sure that AJ and Sgt. Drummond will share a special connection forever. He's definitely a hero in our book!
