Trooper Shaun Smith was swimming laps at the Northwest Family YMCA in Lysander when a 12-year-old Baldwinsville boy went into cardiac arrest in the pool.
Thursday June 2 started just like any other day for Trooper Shaun Smith and his K9 partner, Doyle. At 6 a.m., Trooper Smith put on his New York State Police uniform, and he and Doyle got in their Troop car and travelled to Whitestown.
Trooper Smith and Doyle were requested to assist in the execution of a search warrant on a residence. K9 Doyle, who is trained in narcotics and marijuana detection, helped his State Police partners locate felony amounts of cocaine and marijuana inside the home. Stun guns and 11 long guns were also seized in the early morning raid.
The rest of the day turned out to be anything but ordinary. Following their shift, Trooper Smith, an avid tri-athlete, returned Doyle home, and went to the Northwest Family YMCA for a swim. During his swim, Trooper Smith noticed two young boys in the pool swimming in one of the lanes.
On his next lap, he saw that one of the boys was under water and the other one swam down after him, and pulled him back up. Once the victim was brought to the surface by his friend, Trooper Smith saw that the boy’s face was blue. He immediately assisted the boy in pulling the victim out of the pool and yelled for help.
Trooper Smith began CPR while a lifeguard retrieved an AED and contacted Onondaga County 911. Together, they continued CPR and applied the AED to the victim. They were quickly joined by two women, one a registered nurse and the other a respiratory therapist who assisted with CPR. As Moyer’s Corners Fire Department, Greater Baldwinsville Ambulance Corps, and Troopers from Lysander arrived on scene, the boy began taking labored breaths on his own.
GBAC transported the boy to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, where he regained consciousness and is listed in stable condition.
“It really was a team effort,” Trooper Smith said. “I’m happy the four of us happened to be in the right place at the right time.”