A New Mexico man became a hero when he stepped in to save an officer after a shooting.
Johnny Garcia was at his home in Albuquerque when two men ran past his house, followed by two cops. He says seconds after the officers yelled, “Police, freeze,” the bullets started flying.
He says he heard 10 to 20 gunshots and then things got quiet and an officer ran past yelling that he needed a tourniquet. At that point, Garcia wondered where the other officer was and looked over the wall behind his house to see Officer Mario Verbeck on the ground. Garcia jumped the wall and used the officer’s radio to call for help, then carried him to the street.
A nearby construction worker caught the act of kindness on camera, filming Garcia bringing Officer Verbeck out to where an ambulance came and picked him up. Albuquerque Police report that the officer was shot at the base of his neck and had surgery. Garcia says jumping the wall to help the officer in need was a no-brainer. “He’s an officer of the law and I could not leave him there,” he explains. “I had to assist him to make sure that he’s okay.”