While the great majority of recent publicity regarding law enforcement is seemingly negative, at Tuesday afternoon’s Grayson County Fiscal Court meeting, Leitchfield Police Officer Keith Harrell and Grayson County Deputy Rance Whobrey were bestowed Lifesaving Awards for their quick-thinking and critical action, which resulted in the two men saving a man’s life.
Grayson County Chief Deputy Jarrod Mudd said the incident, which occurred in the early morning hours of February 25, began when Officer Harrell and Dep. Whobrey responded to a report of shots fired at 115 Market Street, in Leitchfield.
Upon arriving at the scene, Officer Harrell and Dep. Whobrey heard two loud and distinctive “pops,” consistent with gunshots. They then saw two Hispanic males run into an apartment near where the shots originated, according to Chief Dep. Mudd.
As the two approached the apartment, they noticed a large pool of blood on the ground in front of the door, Chief Dep. Mudd said, resulting in the two law enforcement officials forcibly entering the apartment. They quickly encountered a male standing in a hallway, and after the man failed to obey verbal commands, Officer Harrell and Dep. Whobrey took the man to the ground.
Dep. Whobrey then noticed a “very large and very deep” laceration to the man’s right forearm, which was bleeding profusely, Chief Dep. Mudd said. Dep. Whobrey immediately called for EMS while Officer Harrell applied pressure to the wound.
Dep. Whobrey retrieved a tourniquet (issued by the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office) from his cruiser and applied it to the man’s arm.
LPD Officer Joe Overton, who had arrived on the scene along with other police units, took over for Officer Harrell in applying pressure to the man’s arm, as Kentucky State Police Trooper Blake Owens and Officer Harrell secured the apartment, finding another male hiding in a closet.
EMS personnel soon arrived and transported the injured man to Twin Lakes Regional Medical Center before he was airlifted to a Lexington trauma center.
The emergency room physician at Twin Lakes Regional Medical Center told Sheriff Norman Chaffins that if pressure had been applied only one minute later, the man would have died due to catastrophic loss of blood. —————————————————————————————————————————————-
The two heroes were presented with framed certificates designating each as a “Lifesaver,” as the many law enforcement officers, family members and citizens in attendance gave Officer Harrell and Dep. Whobrey a standing ovation.
The two men then had “Lifesaver” pins placed on their uniforms; Officer Harrell by LPD Captain Brandon Cook, and Deputy Whobrey by his father, LPD Officer Greg Whobrey.
A dinner, prepared by Wilena Skees, was held in Harrell and Whobrey’s honor at the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office.
(Headline photo — Dep. Rance Whobrey (l) and Officer Keith Harrell)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com or 270-259-6000
