Hometown Heroes--Durham 911, Durham PD, Durham FD, Parkwood EMS, Duke ED

July 16, 2009

60 units of blood.

One bullet, not even as big as the tip of my little finger, caused the damage.

Officer Damon Youmans was struck in the lower abdomen by the .25 caliber slug. The doctors at Duke used more than 60 units of blood during the emergency surgery.

District 3 officers were dispatched to an apartment complex on Shannon Road about 4am on Thursday morning, July 2nd. Without warning, shots were fired from inside the apartment. One shot hit Officer Youmans in the lower abdomen, just below his protective vest.

The 911 center was still on the phone with the original caller when the shots rang out. Before any radio traffic indicated that an officer had been shot, telecommunicators already had Fire and EMS in route to the scene. The quick thinking of the folks at the 911 Center saved Officer Youmans' life.

According to the Durham Herald Sun, Cpl. T.D. Bobbitt and Officers D. Horton and A. Brown took Youmans away from the scene in a patrol car. They met Fire and EMS units at a safe location a few blocks from where the shooting occurred. The quick thinking of those 3 officers saved Officer Youmans' life.

The crew from Durham Engine 11 and Parkwood Medic 62 treated and transported the wounded officer.

Captain Glenn Cooper was in charge of E-11 and he had Cleve Sorrell and Larry Perdue with him. Zane Jones and Chris Taylor were on M-62. The quick response, care and transport by E-11 and M-62 saved Officer Youmans' life that night.

A Herald Sun article on July 7th mentioned that Dr. Gregory Georgiade performed the emergency surgery to stabilize Youmans and Dr. John Scarborough was in charge of the second surgery that took place on that Friday. The quick action and skill of those doctors and nurses at Duke saved Officer Youmans' life.

There are a couple of things that I can tell you for sure right now. First, a lot of people from several agencies all worked together to save Damon Youmans' life. You probably figured that out already.

The second thing that I can tell you for sure is this: Damon Youmans is eternally grateful.
I met Officer Youmans for the first time last Tuesday. He has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support from his fellow officers and from the Durham community.

Durham PD asked me if Emergency Chaplains could assist in raising funds for Officer Youmans and we gladly said yes. He is going to be out of work for a while, his family lives in New York City and there are a lot of unexpected expenses that come up during a time like this.

If you would like to help Officer Youmans, we have established a "10-33 Fund" where every penny given will go directly to him. Info on how to give can be found at http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102632288398&s=-1&e=0016Voap1xuyqUKbslwikUt5yCznXfAuRgyEmXLOKFMd9HxZstJ9t8tDUFLIDpDdj_lvMFOb-ecvebSNwaODf7ALt9i2zT5Zxoj
I will keep you posted on his recovery and get you more information on the "10-33 Fund" in later issues. Please pray for Officer Youmans and his continued recovery.

Hometown Heroes

WOUNDED OFFICER ON FAST TRACK TO RECOVERY
By KEITH UPCHURCH :
The Herald-Sun kupchurch@heraldsun.com

Aug 15, 2009
DURHAM -- "Miraculous" is how a chaplain who is handling a fund for a Durham police officer who nearly died after being shot on duty last month describes the officer's recovery.

Ralph Thompson from Emergency Chaplains said on Friday that the fund has raised $1,500 so far to help the officer, Damon Youmans, as he continues to recover at home from his wound.

Youmans, 32, who had just joined the police force in May, was shot in the abdomen July 2 while responding to a call at an apartment on Shannon Road.

Thomas Rashawn Monroe, 23, of 3300 Shannon Road, Apt. 5A, has been charged with the shooting. He was indicted this week on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury.

"We've had a good response from the community,' Thompson said. "People are sending $20 or $25. All donations, no matter how large or small, are significant, and he appreciates every one of them.'

Thompson said he delivers a check to Youmans at the officer's home every week. He said he got another check in the mail for Youmans on Friday and hopes donations to help the officer with unexpected expenses will continue to come in.

Thompson said Youmans spent about three weeks at Duke University Hospital, then returned home to continue his recovery, which he said has been remarkable.

"The week after he got out of the hospital, he was able to drive himself back for his doctor's appointments,' Thompson said. "He's doing some physical therapy and he hopes to be able to return to work, but he doesn't have a time frame on it,' he said.

"He's in really good spirits right now. From a spiritual side, I can tell you that he is very thankful to Jesus, his Lord and savior, for saving his life and for his miraculous recovery.'

"He's really been blessed by the outpouring of support from the community,' Thompson said. "And he's very thankful for all the people who played a part in saving his life -- from the 911 operator on down the line -- his fellow police officers, fire department, EMS, hospital emergency department and the surgeons. He is so grateful.'