Deputy Fire Chief Credited with Saving Wounded Cop in “Divine Intervention”

An Arlington Heights deputy fire chief is being credited with saving the life of an officer who was shot in the face while responding to a report of a domestic dispute in the Chicago suburb.

It’s a scenario officials are calling “divine intervention."

Deputy Fire Chief Ken Koeppen was visiting family in the 1900 block of Windham Court when he heard gunshots and jumped into action, ultimately saving the life of an injured officer, officials said.

“It was an act of God that he was visiting,” Arlington Heights Cmdr. Andrew Whowell told reporters.

Officer Michael McEvoy, 52, with 23 years on the force, was the first one to respond to the scene around 7 p.m. in the 1900 block of Windham Court for a report of a domestic dispute. Officials said McEvoy entered the home and was confronted by an alleged gunman who shot him in the face near the entryway.

Assisting officers dragged McEvoy to safety where Koeppen was able to administer first aid and treat him, Whowell said.

Meanwhile, officers surrounded the home and began slow, tense negotiations with the gunman, who was holding a 39-year-old woman hostage inside the home.

Those negotiations ended shortly after 10:30 p.m. when officers said a man came out of the garage with a firearm pointed at officers, who then rushed in and fired shots, fatally striking the man. Three shots of gunfire pierced the night just before the standoff ended.

The suspected gunman's hostage, a 39-year-old woman who was visiting her mother, exited the home unharmed after police rushed in, Whowell told reporters.

McEvoy was initially taken in critical condition to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in nearby Park Ridge, and his condition was later stabilized, officials said at a press conference Friday.

Police are crediting the first aid administered by Koeppen with saving McEvoy’s life.
 

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