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TO EXPRESS THE PROFOUND GRATITUDE OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TO CHARLESTON POLICE OFFICER TERRYANN FERGUSON FOR HER HEROIC ACTION IN THE LINE OF DUTY THAT SAVED THE LIFE OF A ONE-YEAR-OLD CHILD.
Whereas, the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives are deeply grateful to Charleston Police Officer Terryann Ferguson and her quick thinking and action that saved the life of a one-year-old girl on Saturday, April 4, 2015, the day before Easter; and
Whereas, when much of the nation was anticipating the day that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, the mother of a one-year-old girl in Charleston was grateful to have her daughter back from the precipice of death; and
Whereas, Officer Terryann Ferguson and her partner were on patrol in the vicinity of the child's home on that fateful Saturday afternoon when they saw the child's mother running with her daughter in her arms and screaming that the child was not breathing; and
Whereas, the young child had become unconscious in a bath when her mother had gone to get some clothes from a nearby room. Another adult in the house discovered the girl unconscious; and
Whereas, Officer Ferguson drove her car closer to the desperate woman, grabbed the baby from her, put the baby on the back of the police car, and then immediately started administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR); and
Whereas, although it was the first time the twenty-eight-year-old officer had given CPR, she had had extensive training from the department and from four years of service in the South Carolina National Guard; and
Whereas, within minutes the baby threw up, an indication of relief for the child, who began breathing again; and
Whereas, with little time to think, Officer Ferguson had consciously asked God to help her do what she was trained to do so that she could save the child. She said she believes God had her at that place at precisely that moment so that she could do just that; and
Whereas, friends and fellow officers have expressed to her their appreciation of her heroic actions, and she even received a personal call from Charleston Chief of Police Greg Mullen; and
Whereas, Officer Ferguson first served with the department from 2008 to 2011, and returned almost a year later in 2012, serving uninterrupted since then. She has also served in the South Carolina National Guard since 2011; and
Whereas, born in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, she was reared with her five siblings in Trinidad, St. Lucia, and Brooklyn, New York, and earned a bachelor's degree in public administration from John Jay College and a master's degree in human resources management from Webster University; and
Whereas, Officer Ferguson followed in the footsteps of her father, who served as a police officer in St. Lucia. He retired the day she was hired with the Charleston Police Department. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:
That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives express their profound gratitude to Charleston Police Officer Terryann Ferguson for her heroic action in the line of duty that saved the life of a one-year-old child.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be provided to Charleston Police Officer Terryann Ferguson.
This web page was last updated on April 22, 2015 at 11:40 AM