On June 10th, PCPD Officers responded to a 911 call for a woman who was suicidal and armed with a firearm near 5th and Grand.
When they arrived, there was no sign of the female but the Officers continued searching the area. As Sergeant Rob Hughes and Corporal William Shahan searched for the woman, they began hearing screams. Eventually, they located the woman near 2nd and Chestnut where she was bleeding profusely and armed with a handgun.
The woman was lying in the roadway, covered in blood from self-inflicted wounds and attempting to maintain control of the handgun. As Sergeant Hughes spoke with the woman and tried to convince her to move away from the weapon, Corporal Shahan was able to knock the gun away from her, without causing further injury to the woman and removing the imminent danger the firearm posed.
Patrolman Matthew Uribe and Sergeant Caleb Landis also arrived on the scene. The officers saw that the woman had deep, wide cuts on her wrists, neck and legs and she was completely covered in blood. Patrolman Uribe ran to his patrol car and retrieved a medical kit which allowed the officers to apply gauze to her neck and other open wounds and hold them in place to prevent further self-harm until PCFD medical personnel could arrive.
The quick and coordinated actions of these four officers directly saved a woman’s life who was clearly experiencing a mental health crisis. Despite the immediate threat of a firearm, the officers maintained their composure and worked as a team to ensure her safety and provide immediate and critical medical care. Their decisive actions in the immediate threat of danger prevented the woman from firing the handgun at herself, the responding officers and the general public, and they controlled life-threatening blood loss until she could be transported to the hospital.
This incident highlights every aspect of their bravery, teamwork and complete dedication to preserving life in extremely dangerous and unpredictable situations. We appreciate and applaud each of them for their selfless service to the citizens of Ponca City.
Pictured from the left: Sergeant Caleb Landis, Patrolman Matthew Uribe, Sergeant Rob Hughes, Corporal William Shahan.
