News Article

April 22, 2009 - 10:16 PM

Maricopa City Police Officer Christopher Evans only had an hour left in his shift when he got the call to respond to a newborn who was no longer breathing.
"It was about 6:30 p.m. on February 6 when another officer in my squad and I picked up the call and said we were en route," said Evans, who grew up in the Yuma area. "When we arrived at the house, the father was in the front yard yelling and screaming for us to come in. We entered the house and found the mother on the floor looking at the baby girl laying next to her."Evans said the 8-day-old had just come home from the hospital the day before."The baby's mouth and jaw had turned blue, and she was not responding to stimulus. Her eyes were open and did not blink. Her pupils were fixed and did not dilate when I shined a light in her eyes. I could not find a pulse and she was not breathing."Evans said the mother had already begun CPR, and he took over after his assessment.
"When you give a baby CPR you have to be very careful because they are so small and fragile, and when you are applying compressions, you can't push too hard." Evans said he continued with the CPR for about 5 minutes, and thought of his own infant son during the entire ordeal. "I have a son who was 2 months old at the time, and when I was performing the CPR, in my mind it was my son laying there. It was rough and very emotional. It was the hardest thing I have ever done in my law enforcement career." Evans said after a while, there were signs the baby might be coming around. "She started to kick her legs a little at the end, which gave me hope. I did not know if it was just nerves or if the CPR was working. That was when the city fire department arrived and took over. Within a few minutes the baby was breathing and making noises. She started crying, and they transported her to Phoenix Children's Hospital by helicopter." According to police officials, the medical personnel who arrived on the scene indicated that if it was not for the direct involvement from Evans administering CPR, the infant would not have survived. They have recommended him for the Medal of Life Saving Award. Evans said the whole event was a very traumatic time. "I was drained and I cried my whole way home. The one thing that kept running through my mind was a Bible verse I learned as a kid which says, 'I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.' It was my faith that kept me going." (Emphasis is mine--from a mom praying that all I do for Jesus is really sinking into their hearts.) Evans said he has closure now because he knows the baby is safe. "She is home now. She had been born with complications which caused the incident; but as far as I know now, she is developing normally." Evans graduated from Kofa High in 1991, and completed law enforcement training at AWC. He has served in the Navy, the San Luis Police Department, Cocopah Tribal Police, and the Yuma County Sheriffs's Office. Evans said helping save a life is what being a cop is all about. "This is definitely one of the reasons I became a police officer. I don't know how not to be a cop."