Two Prescott police officers were recognized with a life-saving award this week for their role in saving a gunshot victim’s life in April.

On April 4, Officer Chad Beyea and Officer Nicholas Cerda responded to a report of a 74-year-old who had an accidental gunshot wound in his upper thigh, police say. They found him lying in his living room, bleeding heavily from the wound.

Beyea applied direct pressure to the wound while Cerda took a tourniquet from his medical kit. They put the tourniquet above the wound, which seemed to stop the bleeding, police say.

The officers kept applying pressure to the wound until Prescott Fire Department officers arrived on the scene.

The victim went to Yavapai Regional Medical Center and was later flown to Honor Health Deer Valley Medical Center for further treatment, according to police.

Trauma Medical Director Joseph Sucher said the man was stable in large part due to the tourniquet application, which he called a “live saving measure,” according to police.  

“All Prescott Police Officers are equipped with Individual First Aid Kits and trained on the proper application of tourniquets,” the Prescott Police media release said.

“We are extremely proud of both Officer Beyea and Officer Cerda for their quick thinking and life saving actions during the course of this incident.”

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