EXCELSIOR SPRINGS, Mo. — An officer-involved shooting occurred in Excelsior Springs, Missouri late Saturday afternoon. As part of the OIS investigation, deputies with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office spent hours at the scene talking to witnesses.
Ava Donegan, 17, a senior in high school, was one of the people who had a front row seat to the traumatic incident that occurred about 5 p.m. In fact, she was so close that a wounded Excelsior Springs police officer summoned her assistance to apply a tourniquet after he had been shot in the shoulder and wrist, KMBC reported.
Donegan was in the area to go shopping with her boyfriend. The two were waiting at a red light at the intersection of Route 10 and Corum Road. Suddenly, they found themselves in the middle of a major crime scene.
Two Excelsior Springs police officers tried to detain a driver who was wanted on a warrant for assaulting a law enforcement officer. The suspect opened fire, striking one of the officers in the shoulder and the wrist. The second officer returned fire, shooting the suspect in the head.
The gunman was identified as 64-year-old Carl Carrel. He died from his injuries, according to the news outlet.
“I saw the cop get out of the car and then I saw him get shot a few times,” Donegan recalled. “After that, we both ducked, and he started calling the police.”
Their vehicle was directly in front of Carrel’s truck at the intersection, KMBC reported.
“Somehow, I blinked my eye and the cop who was shot was right in front of my car. He was asking me to get out and help put his tourniquet on,” she said. “He told me that it was completely numb, and his hand was completely limp.”
Donegan said she offered assistance to the seriously wounded officer by helping him apply the tourniquet, remove his vest, and use his radio to summon assistance.
“Somehow there’s blood all over my hands. Somehow there’s blood on my car,” Donegan said. “When I realized he needed help, it all was instinct.”
Donegan’s father is an ICU nurse. The teen has aspirations to go into pre-med, so she was familiar with tourniquets and how to apply them.
Prior to Saturday night’s dramatic encounter, Donegan said she had never heard gunshots before. Although the situation was frightening, she is glad that she was able to help.
According to KMBC, the unidentified officer had to undergo a second surgery Sunday. He is expected to be recover, although the long term prognosis is not immediately known.
“I’m just glad that he is okay. I think that gives me a good peace of mind,” Donegan concluded.
