A Dallas police officer is being hailed a hero after helping to save the life of a 2-year-old at the State Fair of Texas on Sunday.
According to the Dallas Police Department, a mother and her three children were headed toward the entrance gates at about 7:30 a.m. when she noticed her 2-year-old son had stopped breathing and began screaming for help.
A Dallas police officer stationed nearby in the parking lot heard the woman and ran to her aid.
Sr. Cpl. Matt Gnagi, a 33-year veteran of the department, began CPR on the small child until he could breathe on his own, the department said in a statement Monday.
Firefighters with Dallas Fire-Rescue soon arrived and took the child to a local hospital.
"Sr. Cpl. Gnagi’s actions saved the child’s life and are representative of the commitment Dallas Police Officer have to the public. The Dallas Police Department and the State Fair of Texas are very proud of Sr. Cpl. Matt Gnagi," the department said in a statement Monday.
Gnagi was thrilled after being able to visit the boy in the hospital Monday morning.
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"Sometimes [one of] the hardest things about our job is we don't get closure -- we got it today. We got to see a healthy child jumping in the crib -- it was awesome," said Gnagi.
It is not yet known why the child stopped breathing, but the The Dallas Police Department said in a statement Monday that he has made a "remarkable recovery."
