On Sunday, September 9, 2018 Cobb County Police Explorer Corporal Mario Alexander (17 years old) was instrumental in saving a life at a local Target store in Marietta (2201 Cobb Pkwy S, Marietta GA). Corporal Alexander is an employee of the local retail establishment, and when he observed that two fellow employees had been stabbed and cut by an escaped robber he rushed to their assistance. When he saw that one of his team members was bleeding profusely from a wound in his arm, Alexander used the materials at his disposal to create a tourniquet and stem the flow of blood from a deep stab wound. He then moved to the next team member and applied gauze and direct pressure to a neck wound. He continued to check on both of his fellow employees until medical personnel and police officers arrived on scene to take over.
Corporal Alexander credits the training he has received as a Cobb County Police Explorer for preparing him for this event. Among the various training they receive regarding policework in general, Explorers also receive specific training on applying tourniquets to wounds that might otherwise result in massive amounts of blood loss and possibly death. Although he was without the proper field tourniquet (equipment issued to most first responders), Corporal Alexander used his training to improvise and create a tourniquet using the materials he had on him while at work, in this case his work shirt. He continued to assist once first responders arrived by removing his improvised tourniquet as a more proper field tourniquet was applied by the first responding Marietta Police Officer.
The Cobb County Police Department and our partners at Marietta Police Department thank Corporal Alexander for his quick thinking and would like to recognize him for putting to use the knowledge he has gained from the Cobb County Police Explorer program. His actions more than exemplify our commitment and dedication to public safety.
