Heroic Wichita nurse saves Kansas City shooting victim’s life
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Many heroes stepped up in the moments after the mass shooting in Kansas City. One of those is a hospice nurse from Wichita. She took the clothes off her back to keep a man from bleeding out.
Jessica Dean said she didn’t need to think. It was second nature for her to run toward someone in need. At the moment, she said, she didn’t know if she would make it back home to her husband and kids.
Dean said she had an uneasy feeling coming over her as the players’ rally ended on Wednesday.
“I saw a couple of individuals walking in darker clothes, with backpacks on, which really stand out in a crowd, when everyone is wearing red and yellow,” said Dean.
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That’s when the shots rang out, sending everyone running for their lives.
But, instead of running away, Dean ran into danger. She found a man who had been shot, lying on the ground. She said that she and another person started CPR. She also pressed her sweatshirt on the wound in hopes of stopping the bleeding until paramedics arrived.
“Just hoping for EMS to make it here as quickly as they can, there’s so many people around there, and you just don’t know how fast they’re going to be able to get through all of that insanity,” said Dean.
They got a pulse back, and the ambulance took the man to the hospital. Dean’s sweatshirt and shoes were left covered in blood.
“I was really, really hopeful, still hopeful that he’s going to be one to pull through,” said Dean.
Dean’s family was separated from her in the chaos. Her cousin calls her act courageous.
“She risked her entire life to stop and help these people. She’s a true hero,” said Jessica Dean’s cousin, Kayleigh Clements.
Dean said being a nurse is an honor.
“Makes you feel a little bit proud to be a part of that community, knowing that you work with those kinds of people every day, that would give themselves to save anybody,” said Dean.
Scheels caught word of Jessica’s actions and gifted her a new pair of shoes. Dean said she wishes to one day reconnect with the man she helped save.
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