A Missouri teen who went into action and helped put a tourniquet on an officer shot in the line of duty in October was honored for her bravery this month.
“When the officer said, ‘Can you help me with my tourniquet?’ I was like, ‘Absolutely, I can help you with your tourniquet.’ It was really helpful to have that knowledge from my dad,” Ava Donegan, a 17-year-old high school student, told reporters about the October incident when she went into action to assist Excelsior Springs officer Andrew Stott. Her father is an intensive care nurse who taught his family how to properly use a tourniquet, the Courier Tribune reported.
Donegan and her friend were on a shopping trip and were stopped at an intersection in Excelsior Springs on Oct. 1 when Donegan saw Stott being shot twice by a suspect with a warrant, according to authorities.
“Officer Stott ran to the vehicle Ava was in after being shot. She didn’t know if more bullets would fly, but she could see she needed help. She had been shot in the right arm and left hand. Officer Stott pointed to where his tourniquet was on his outer vest. Ava helped him retrieve it and put it on his injured right arm,” the sheriff’s office posted on Facebook about the incident.
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Clay County Sheriff Will Akin presents the award to Ava Donegan.
(Clay County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook)
Authorities said Stott was unable to use his radio due to his injuries, but Donegan was able to use it for him and inform dispatchers about what happened.
“Ava and her friend had come to Excelsior Springs that day to go shopping. She was under no obligation to help a law enforcement officer in a life-or-death situation, but she did. Ava also assisted the Sheriff’s Office in our investigation of the case. incident, providing information about what she witnessed,” the sheriff’s office added on Facebook.
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Excelsior Springs Mayor Sharon Powell presents an award to Ava Donegan.
(Clay County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook)
The teen was honored Thursday with a handful of awards for her bravery, including the sheriff’s office challenge coin first commissioned by Clay County Sheriff Will Akin, as well as a police chief challenge coin. of Excelsior Springs, Greg Dull. Excelsior Springs Mayor Sharon Powell also awarded Donegan a $2,000 scholarship provided by a local Ford dealer.
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Excelsior Springs Police Chief Gregory Dull presents the award to teenager Ava Donegan.
(Clay County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook)
“I can only imagine how proud your family is. You don’t see citizens taking risks in life to make a difference these days. I never met the officer you helped, but I can assure you that if it were my son, I would be very thankful you were there on that horrible day to help him,” Mike Anderson of Chuck Anderson’s Ford Excelsior Springs dealership wrote in a letter read at the ceremony Thursday.
Donegan struck a humble tone at the award ceremony, saying she was “grateful” for the award.
“I still think anybody would have done it,” Donegan said. “But I’m very grateful to be here.”
Stott has undergone multiple surgeries due to his injuries and is expected to recover, the Courier Tribune reported.
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The suspect in the shooting, Carl Carrel, was shot and killed by other police officers after Stott was shot. The Clay County Prosecutor’s Office is now investigating the incident, according to the sheriff’s office.
