ALBION, Mich. (AP) — Quick action, including CPR by a Michigan police officer, saved the life of a 2-year-old girl whose mother had stabbed her and tried to drown her, a public safety chief said.
Albion police Lt. Aaron Phipps broke through the door of a bathroom Saturday, pulled the girl from a bathtub and performed CPR on the 2-year-old, reviving her, Albion Public Safety Chief Scott Kipp said.
“Seconds make a huge difference in those situations, especially when they’re not breathing,” Kipp said.
A teenage sibling of the 2-year-old had called 911 for help, police said in a news release. Officers including Phipps broke into the residence and found a woman holding the girl underwater in a bathtub, WOOD-TV reported Tuesday.
Phipps’ body camera recorded the incident.
“Wake up, baby,” the officer said as he started rescue breaths and chest compressions, counting as he went.
“Breathe, breathe, breathe,” he said. “Keep breathing.”
After about a minute, the girl started crying. She was taken to a local hospital where she was listed in stable condition.
The girl’s mother, Jessica Edward-Ricks, was charged Tuesday with assault with intent to murder and child abuse. Bond was set at $500,000. She remained in custody Wednesday.
Phipps has been on the police force for six years, WOOD-TV reported.
“He’s been promoted very quickly from officer to sergeant to lieutenant now,” Kipp said. “It shows in the work that he does.”
