South Carolina Deputy Saves Baby’s Life During Traffic Stop

Berkeley County Sheriff’s Deputy William Kimbro was on routine patrol when he ended up pursuing a speeding vehicle, not knowing there was a 12-day old baby inside struggling to breathe…and he would be the one to save her life.

Body cam footage shows Deputy Kimbro holding the child in his hands and patting her stomach. He then places her on her mother’s lap and massages her chest in an attempt to force her breathing.

The mother explained to the officer that she put her new daughter, Riley, in her bassinet for a nap while she showered and when her stepmother checked in on the infant, she was choking. She said one minute Riley was sleeping peacefully, the next she wasn’t breathing and there was milk in her mouth.

“Please open those eyes, sweetheart,” Kimbro can be heard saying as he rubs her face and belly and separates her lips to breath with his fingers. 

In an interview with ‘Inside Edition,’ Deputy Kimbro said, “The whole time I was thinking to myself, do not let this baby die in front of her mother and her grandmother. Just don’t.” Riley begins to cry. “As long as she’s crying, she’s breathing,” he tells the girl’s mother and step-grandmother.

“I’m worried about her because she starts breathing, and then she stops and then starts and then stops,” the deputy is heard telling the women. The baby’s skin was also turning a slight blue.

Deputy Kimbro stayed with Baby Riley and her family until the paramedics arrived and explained to them what happened. “She’s going to be good,” he tells the hysterical mom. “I can feel that heart. It’s good now.”

Now, baby Riley is doing well and the family was reportedly not issued a ticket or citation for the traffic stop. The sheriff’s department posted the body cam video on its Facebook page, praising Kimbro’s actions under pressure. “Because of deputy Kimbro’s steadfast, professional and heroic response, the 12-day-old baby was able to live,” the department said.

Kimbro stated, “I’m just glad little Riley is just flourishing.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ABC World News Tonight (@abcworldnewstonight)