Shocking Dashcam Video and Audio Captures Moment Cop Was Shot Along Roadway
Both a fellow cop and a good Samaritan rushed to the aid of an Oklahoma police officer shot during a traffic stop Sunday, and the harrowing ordeal was all caught on dashcam.
Valley Brook Police Officer Brian Southerland pulled over a driver January 1, and as he approached the vehicle, driver Cory Hartsell suddenly opened fire, according to police.
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Southerland took a single bullet to the leg and it happened to pierce a major artery, KFOR reported.
"I've been hit," Southerland told dispatch. "I'm sitting next to my vehicle. I'm shot in the leg."
Just then, after the suspect peeled away, passerby Ken Barnes bravely approached the scene and offered his help.
"Do you have something I can tie my leg off with," Southerland managed to ask.
Barnes ran to grab a rope from his truck, and returned with the makeshift tourniquet as Oklahoma County Deputy Johnny Berryman responded to the scene.
"It looked very negative there for a while, because he was shot in the femoral artery, a very critical place to be shot," said Paco Balderrama of the Oklahoma City Police Department.
Thankfully, Berryman applied the tourniquet in time to help stop the bleeding. Officer Southerland underwent surgery Tuesday morning and is expected to make a full recovery.
To offset expenses Southerland will accrue while being paid only workers compensation, a GoFundMe page has been created on his behalf.
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Meanwhile, police investigating the case arrested Hartsell early Tuesday morning.
The 27-year-old is charged with shooting with intent to kill and unauthorized use of a vehicle. He remains held in the Oklahoma County Jail on a $500,000 bond.
