HENRICO, Va. – A police officer isn’t really ever off duty.
On Tuesday, while eating dinner at Sakura Japanese restaurant, off-duty Henrico Police Officer M. Sheehan noticed a man starting to cough.
She monitored the man’s condition and noticed his breathing difficulties were starting to quickly worsen. Following her training, Officer Sheehan quickly identified the diner as being in an emergency status.
She started the Heimlich maneuver on the man, which effectively dislodged the food stuck in his throat. The Henrico Police Department posted about the rescue.
“She may humbly lessen the importance of her actions that night, but we feel she likely saved his life,” they wrote. “Thank you, Ofc. Sheehan for your continued commitment to our citizens, on and off duty.”
In the post, Henrico Police included a link to a video from the American Red Cross on how to identify a choking person and what to do.
