Two Michigan police officers are being honored for saving the lives of an 8-year-old boy who was electrocuted by a live wire last year.
Warren Police Officer David Chapman and Cpl. Det. Daniel Rose were one of four officers who recently received the annual Valor Award for heroic actions on duty from the Hundred Club of Detroit, the department stated in a social media post. The department also released body camera footage from the Aug. 30, 2022, incident.
At around 9 a.m. that day, police were near McKinley Elementary on an unrelated call when they saw a boy shocked by a downed live power line. After the shock, the boy was unconscious on the ground while the live power line hung above him. According to C&G Newspapers at the time, the power line was carrying 4,800 volts.
Rose was one of the officers at the scene, and he quickly got out of his car and crawled under the downed power line to drag the boy to safety. Chapman also helped get the child to a secure area, and the officers could feel the electric charge coming from the boy.
"OK, bud," Rose can be heard telling the boy. "What’s your name? I’m with you buddy."
The officers then loaded the boy into the back of a cruiser and rushed to the hospital. The child suffered severe burns to his hands and other critical injuries, and Rose is heard comforting the boy during the ride to the hospital.
In receiving their award a year later, the officers were praised for their selfless and brave actions and credited for saving the boy's life.
"It’s not only writing tickets. It’s not going to actual crimes. It's serving the public, making sure people are safe," Rose told WJBK-TV. "That, in essence, wasn’t a police matter, but the police were there, and thank goodness we were able to react and save a life. And that’s the stuff that happens every day that people don’t know about."
