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Norfolk Police officers rescue man from frigid waters

Posted at 5:58 PM, Mar 23, 2018
and last updated 2018-03-23 17:58:03-04

NORFOLK, Va. – Three Norfolk Police officers braved the frigid waters of Knitting Mill Creek to save a man’s life Friday afternoon.

Officers Tyler McElroy (L) and Ryan Shepherd (R) after saving a disoriented man from the icy waters of Knitting Mill Creek Friday (Photo courtesy of the Norfolk Police Department)

Officer Tyler McElroy and his partners, Officers Ryan Shepherd and Michael Torian, responded to the scene for a water rescue around 11:40 p.m. They arrived to find a man floating in the water, approximately 10-15 feet from the shore.

“Medics threw the man a life-ring, but the man did not seem to understand,” Officer McElroy said. “We knew he was in trouble, so we did what we had to do.”

McElroy and Shepherd took off their duty belts and equipment as they prepared to help the unresponsive man, and McElroy jumped into the cold water and walked over to the man, who was floating on his back.

Once he reached the man, McElroy noticed the man was very pale and disoriented. The officer pushed the man back to shore, where Shepherd and Torian, along with Firefighter Kevin Harmon, pulled him from the creek.

The 60-year-old man was described as “confused” and possibly suffering from hypothermia and was taken to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital for treatment.

It is not known why the man was in the water, but the Norfolk Police Department credits the officers for coming to the man’s aid.