Bodycam video shows Albion officer rescue girl, 2, from bathtub drowning
ALBION, Mich. (WOOD) — Body camera video shows an Albion police officer saving the life of a little girl who was held underwater in a bathtub, allegedly by her mother.
The video was released Monday by the Albion Department of Public Safety. News 8 is not showing much of it because it is graphic and shows the victim’s face.
Around 10:30 a.m. Saturday, police, got a 911 call with children asking for help and screaming. In the bodycam video, someone can be heard screaming for help as police arrive.
The video shows a Calhoun County sheriff’s deputy and an Albion police officer entering the home, guns drawn. They identified themselves and looked around. The Albion officer knocked on the bathroom door.
“Boot it,” the deputy said.
The Albion officer kicked the door open. In the bathroom, they saw a woman hunched over in the tub, the water running. The Albion officer pulled her away from the child, who was under her.
“Get out! What’s going on?” the officer can be heard saying in the video.
The woman said nothing.
The officer pulled the child, a 2-year-old girl, away from the woman and dragged her into another room. He called for medical help over his radio, reporting the child had been stabbed.
“Wake up, baby,” he said as he started rescue breaths and chest compressions, counting as he went.
“Breathe for us, honey,” another officer encouraged her.
“Breathe, breathe, breathe,” the officer doing chest compressions said. “Keep breathing.”
After about a minute of chest compressions and breaths, the girl started crying. Officers continued first aid and tried to comfort her, patting and rubbing her back.
Body camera footage from June 24, 2023 showing police with a 2-year-old after her mother held her underwater in a bathtub.
“Keep breathing for us, all right?” one of the officers said. “Good girl.”
The girl was hospitalized with stab wounds to the throat and chest.
Police say another child in the house, a 4-year-old boy, also suffered cuts and that the 2-year-old, 4-year-old and their mother may have ingested cleaning fluid. The 2- and 4-year-old were treated at a local hospital and then airlifted to the hospital in Ann Arbor, where they were listed in stable condition Saturday.
Two other children in the house, an 8-year-old and a 15-year-old who called for help, did not appear to be hurt.
The mother, a 35-year-old woman, was hospitalized and was expected to face charges. The Albion police chief said arraignment was expected Tuesday, at which point the mother’s name was expected to be released.
Neighbors are collecting clothing, food and other necessities for the kids. Things for a 15-year-old girl, 8-year-old boy, 4-year-old boy and 2-year-old girl can be dropped off at the Albion Fire Department.
Source: WOODTV.com
