A female police officer from Las Vegas earned high praise for her actions in a crisis — even though she was shot and bleeding out. And her bodycam footage is harrowing evidence of her bravery.
Las Vegas Police Officer Tierney Tomburo was going about her regular duties on Sept. 10. when she stopped a vehicle for a minor traffic infraction at 1:13 a.m., according to Breaking 911.
Tomburo must have felt something was off with the three male passengers inside the vehicle because she asked them to exit the car and move to the front of her patrol SUV, her bodycam footage revealed.
The three young men complied, but as they walked to the police cruiser, one of the men, identified as 27-year-old Gabriel Charles, suddenly took flight.
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The footage shows that the officer turned to give chase as the suspect ran down the street.
After only a few yards, though, the suspect turned to face the oncoming officer, pulled out a handgun and fired a single shot, hitting Tomburo in the hip.
Investigators later found that the shooter’s gun had jammed after that first round, and 14 more bullets were still in the weapon’s magazine. So, Tomburo was lucky not to face an onslaught of 14 more deadly projectiles.
The bullet to her hip instantly sent officer Tomburo flailing to the pavement in pain.
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But despite the serious and painful hip wound she suffered, Tomburo was able to retrieve her firearm, and as she lay on the ground, she sent four shots toward the suspect.
Charles was hit several times and later died of his wounds, according to a police report.
The bodycam footage of officer Tomburo and another officer who arrived seconds after the shooting are a harrowing example of the danger they face and bravery of our men and women in blue.
The second officer’s bodycam footage show his immediate actions of applying a tourniquet to Tomburo’s upper leg to prevent as much blood loss as possible.
Ultimately, the driver of the SUV that officer Tomburo pulled over was cited for drunk driving, and the passenger who complied with the orders to exit the vehicle was released without charges.
Officer Tomburo was taken to University Medical Center where she was treated for her bullet wound and is reportedly now recovering at home.
The bodycam footage is simply amazing. Officer Tomburo deserves credit for keeping her head even after suffering a grievous wound.
Even after being shot Tomburo kept her head, calmly returned fire to bring down a dangerous suspect and lived up to her charge to safeguard the public.
Tomburo was lucky to have survived her encounter with an armed suspect. So far in 2022, 176 officers have died in the line of duty, with 48 killed by gunfire, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page.
This is amazing police work, and officer Tomburo deserves all the accolades coming her way.
