HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — A quick-thinking deputy used a technique he learned in the military to save two lives near Houston.
The Harris County Sheriff's Office just released video captured by the body camera of rookie deputy Donald Landry. The video was taken Dec. 30, 2019 when deputy Landry responded to a shooting inside a home off of Waldine Street in east Harris County.
At the beginning of the video, which was edited to bleep out foul language and blur out the faces of the gunshot victims, you can hear an unidentified Harris County Sheriff's Office deputy tell Landry, "They're done, brother."
The two men, a 19-year-old and 20-year-old, had been shot in their legs. They were bleeding out. Deputies were on scene, but EMS had not yet arrived.
"Did anyone apply a tourniquet," asked Landry as he walked into the mobile home. Inside, a man lay on the floor in pain.
LANDRY: "Where are you shot at?"
VICTIM: "The leg."
LANDRY: "Roll over. Roll over."
You then see Landry pull a tourniquet off his uniform. Harris County Sheriff's deputies keep the tourniquet on their belt or in the pocket of their cargo pants.
The 28-year-old deputy is a rookie. He was sworn in as a Harris County Sheriff's deputy three months prior.
He's a new breed of county deputy. In January 2019, the Harris County Sheriff signed off on tourniquet training for all deputies. Senior deputies receive an hour-long training course.
"Meanwhile, all cadets and new hires are going through a 16-hour basic field medical course that covers tourniquets and how to remove wounded officers from the line of fire during an active shooter situation," said Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
While Landry was shown how to use a tourniquet in the academy, he actually learned how to use it while serving in the U.S. Army.
Landry, an Army Ranger, was deployed to Afghanistan. He used tourniquets to save the lives of several Afghan soldiers who stepped on IEDs.
"You notice how he’s not responding much? He’s losing consciousness," said Sheriff Gonzalez during a press conference Wednesday where the video was released.
The two men are alive and are still recovering from the gunshot wounds. The shooter, investigators say, is still on the run.
"It’s a very good piece of equipment," said Landry of tourniquets. "I stand by it every day. It’s the main thing I make sure I have on me, besides my firearm and my radio."
Harris County is working with Cypress Creek EMS to train deputies. The goal is to get every patrol deputy trained and equipped with a tourniquet. Sheriff Gonzalez found enough money in his budget to buy 500 tourniquets. Partnerships with the community and local hospitals will help to supply more.
May is national "Stop the Bleed" month. Cypress Creek EMS will be offering classes to the public all month.
To learn more or to sign up for the class:
Cypress Creek EMS
7111 Five Forks Drive
Spring, TX 77379
(281) 378-0800
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