A man who was set to go before a judge on a drug charge is being hailed as a hero for helping wounded police officer. When Xaun Sayles arrived at a Pennsylvania courthouse, arraigned on a drug charge, he never expected to help save the life of a cop — but that is exactly what happened.
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Sayles said he was waiting for his hearing when he saw gunman Shaun Dowdell point a weapon at his wife before firing a volley of shots. According to CNN, the suspect had a restraining order against him related to a choking case when he opened fire at the Masontown Borough Municipal Center at around 2 p.m. on Sept. 19.
During the crossfire, Masontown police Sgt. Scott Miller was struck in the hand, quickly taking cover behind a car. But despite getting himself to safety, the officer was losing blood at a rapid rate. So, Sayles decided to help him as best he could.
“I just seen him bleeding so bad that I ran over to him and immediately took my shirt and started wrapping his hand up,” Sayles said of the September 19 attack, as reported by WTAE-TV. “Then I took my belt off and tied it around his forearms to stop the blood from flowing.”
When Miller saw Sayles, he said the cop ordered him to run and get to safety, but the criminal refused.
“Scotty Miller is a good cop,” Sayles said. “I know him, and I knew he had a past history with his heart, so that was the first thing I thought when I saw him bleeding.”
As for the officer, he will require surgery to remove one of his fingers, but he is alive — and much of that is thanks to Sayles and his selfless actions.
But would he really call himself a hero?
“I don’t know about the heroic stuff,” Sayles laughed. “That’s just who I am.”
Along with Sgt. Miller, two other men and a woman were injured, but are expected to recover. Dowdell was shot and killed by a police officer after the attack, in which police said he fired six to eight shots.
(H/T: WTAE-TV)