INDIANAPOLIS — Three off-duty firefighters are being credited with saving a life outside a downtown White Castle early Sunday morning.
Those firefighters aren’t from Indy but they happened to be exactly where they needed to be.
The three men are from the Cobb County Fire Department in Georgia and were off duty grabbing food when they heard gunfire break out and they ran outside to help. They’re in Indianapolis for the annual FDIC International convention.
The shooting happened just after 3 a.m. Sunday on South and Illinois streets outside the White Castle near Lucas Oil Stadium.
“He was bleeding a pretty good bit, so obviously stopping the bleed, and clearing his airway, talking to him, trying to get him to talk back to us, seeing what his consciousness was. We also had some other individuals that were helping us facilitate everything. It wasn’t just us out there, we were doing everything we could at the time,” Cobb County firefighter T.J. Proulx told WRTV.
Firefighter Gregory Baker says the three split up their duties to help the shooting victim.
“We start kind of assessing the patient and we see multiple gunshot wounds, so we go ahead and start getting direct pressure. Once Mabry get’s out there, everybody’s kind of getting ready and we’re stripping him down looking for other stuff we may have missed,” Baker said.
Firefighter Aaron Mabry brought out napkins and gloves, makshift supplies used to hold pressure and try to stop enough of the bleeding until the ambulance arrived.
“Find out where they’re bleeding or where the injury is and hold pressure. That’s the best thing that’s going to stop the bleeding. Some people can make makeshift tourniquets if it’s exposed on the leg or arm and take a belt and stop the bleeding that way,” said Cobb County firefighter Aaron Mabry.
The trio says the police department and ambulance showed up minutes later. Baker said their training and timing made all the difference.
Although providing care after a trauma is normal for them, it was the first time they were right there as everything unfolded.
All three say they were just doing what they’ve been trained to do.
“If you ask any firefighter, that’s why they get on the job. Even though we’re in a different community, we were still able to do what we needed to do for that gentleman,” Baker said.
IMPD found another man shot on Madison Avenue. He also survived.
Police believe both men are connected to the shooting at the White Castle and think some kind of fight led to the shooting.
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