A gunshot victim is recovering Friday morning thanks to the quick thinking of a Dallas police officer, authorities said.
Police said officers arrived at a tire shop in the 1200 block of South Buckner Boulevard near Maddox Street in Pleasant Grove and found one person, later identified as Joseph Garcia, badly injured.
One officer noticed blood coming from Garcia's leg, so he used a tourniquet to stop bleeding until help arrived. An ambulance then rushed Garcia to Baylor University Medical Center in critical condition.
"The doctor who performed the surgery said that the application of the tourniquet to Mr. Garcia’s leg to stop the blood loss was the contributing factor in the preservation of his life," Dallas police officials said in a statement.
The tourniquet is part of what's called a Downed Officer Kit, which was issued to every Dallas police officer about a year ago. The kit contains a chemical to stop bleeding, gauze, gloves and a tourniquet.
The kit was also used earlier this year to save an officer who was shot in the line of duty.
The shooting was the second reported on Buckner within about an hour overnight. The first shooting took place at an apartment near Scyene Road. Paramedics transported one injured person after that shooting. The search continues for the shooter and the condition of the victim is not known.
