Baltimore County Officer First Class Swinney Shot In The Line Of Duty Released From Shock Trauma
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Baltimore County Officer First Class Swinney left the ambulance bay at Shock Trauma in a wheelchair six days to the hour after he and Baltimore City Officer Robert Adams were wounded in northeast Baltimore.
A large group of fellow officers saluted Swinney as he was released from the hospital.
#BREAKING Baltimore Co officer released from Shock Trauma after being shot last week. @wjz pic.twitter.com/l7fOekY2JB
— Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) February 18, 2020
Adams was shot in the calf and Swinney was shot in the abdomen and leg just after noon last Wednesday.
Update on one of the officers shot in the line of duty last week. @wjz https://t.co/1Q7zHRFZYM
— Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) February 17, 2020
Shock Trauma's Physician-in-Chief Thomas Scalea said Swinney was "in great spirits."
#WJZ AT 4: Shock Trauma's Dr. Thomas Scalea on the release of a Baltimore County police officer shot in the line of duty last week. He talks about the tourniquet that saved his life. @wjz pic.twitter.com/VLcfjd8qdy
— Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) February 18, 2020
Baltimore County police do not release the first names of their officers.
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"He's made a good recovery," Dr. Scalea told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren. "He will certainly have a fair amount of rehab in front of him, but he's going to do it as an outpatient—so we are happy things turned out as well as they did."
There was much to celebrate as fellow officers saluted Officer First Class Swinney, a 31-year veteran of the #BCoPD, as he was being released from @shocktrauma following an officer-involved shooting during a felony warrant service last week. https://t.co/NpFy7s6S5Q ^JH pic.twitter.com/xtnCzS2sss
— Baltimore County Police Department (@BaltCoPolice) February 18, 2020
Dr. Scalea said a tourniquet likely saved Officer Swinney's life.
Dr. Scalea of Shock Trauma says one of the injured officers lives was likely saved today by a tourniquet. I went through the Stop The Bleed training he mentioned at Shock Trauma. Here's our past special report. https://t.co/ONDU1j4VtG @wjz
— Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) February 13, 2020
"He had a large amount of blood at the scene. He came in—even with the tourniquet on—not doing real, real well. There was very little question in that moment that had he not had the tourniquet applied—then he might not have survived to get to the hospital."
Congratulations Officer First Class Swinney on being discharged from the hospital. We at the Baltimore Police Department wish you a speedy recovery. pic.twitter.com/sImVfHLR6B
— Baltimore Police (@BaltimorePolice) February 18, 2020
Officer Swinney is a 31-year veteran of the department. Both he and Officer Adams were shot in an apparent friendly fire incident.
They were part of a large local-federal task force serving a warrant on Michael Marullo, wanted for attempted murder out of Pennsylvania.
Video from the scene on Radecke Avenue shows Marullo coming toward officers. Police say he had a fully loaded weapon but never fired a shot from it. Marullo died at the scene.
Baltimore City police are leading that investigation and have not provided an update this week.
Baltimore County Police Chief Melissa Hyatt said she is just glad her officer is well enough to go home.
"There could be absolutely nothing better than what we saw happen," Chief Hyatt said. "For our officer to have been shot in the line of duty last week and to be leaving Shock Trauma today—thanks to the incredible efforts of Dr. Scalea and his entire team. We are just incredibly grateful and we just have so much to celebrate today."