Roseboro, N.C. — The fellow deputy, who many say helped save the life of a Sampson County deputy shot while trying to apprehend a suspect, is being called a hero.
But, Sampson County Deputy Tyler Spell says he knows other officers would have done the same for him.
It was 2 a.m. on July 23 when Deputies Caitlin Emanuel and Spell responded to a stolen vehicle call just outside of Roseboro. Spell said he went looking for a suspect who had darted off into the woods.
While Spell was away, Michael Walthall jumped out of the woods and started tussling with Emanuel, deputies said. Her gun went off and she was shot twice in the leg.
“Instantly, I knew that was a very dangerous area depending on which way the bullet went into her leg because other arteries in her leg, and I told her I was like, Caitlin, I’m going to have to pick you up and put you in the car because we’ve got to go,” recalled Spell.
Spell said he passed an ambulance on the way to a local hospital. At one point, he stopped his patrol car and put a tourniquet on her leg.
“I put the tourniquet on her leg, tighten it down as tight as I could get. Check the clock at 2:20 to record for the hospital’s purposes. Got back in the car [and] continued to drive back to the hospital and got there as fast and safe as I could,” said Spell.
The deputies said they’re more than just fellow officers — they’re like family. Spell was part of Emanuel’s wedding day.
Now, he’s even more than that.
“He was my hero … I felt like he saved my life, so I will definitely say he is my hero,” said Emanuel.
“I’m not a hero,” said Spell. “I transported a hero.”
Emanuel said she’s going through rehab to learn how to walk again. She hopes to rejoin the sheriff’s department after she recovers.