A Samaritan who saved the life of a police trooper from a suspect is being hailed as a hero in Arizona. But he is not quite ready to speak with the media and is trying to reconcile taking a life, even when it was the right thing to do, officials reported.
The unidentified motorist last Thursday killed a suspect who had wounded and was beating an officer.
Director of the Arizona State Department of Public Safety, Colonel Frank L. Milstead said the Samaritan is a humble guy, he saved the life of a trooper Ed Andersson.
Andersson is 27 years old and is a spiritual guy and he told me that God put Samaritan there that morning so that he could save my life, Col. Milstead said.
Around 4:20 a.m., Trooper Andersson reached an accident scene on Interstate 10 which is near Tonopah about 50 miles west from Phoenix.
According to authorities Leonard Penuelas Escobar a 37 year old was the driver in the rollover crash, in which a passenger was killed, Escobar opened fire upon ongoing vehicles and he was holding an injured woman.
The suspect shot Andersson on his shoulder and then he began slamming his head on the pavement, Milstead told to the media.
The good Samaritan was driving to California when he pulled off after seeing the incident, he asked his fiancé to call 911 and grabbed a 9 mm pistol, and asked Escobar to stop, but Escobar ignored his order continued to beat the trooper.
According to authorities Samaritan fired twice at the suspect and then began to help Andersson, but the suspect got up and he attacked again. Samaritan fired again on the head of Escobar which mortally wounded him.
An another motorist Brain Schober stopped at the incident and called for help from the troopers portable radio and cleaned the wounds of the officer.
Milstead said that officials were still trying to know that, why the suspect opened fire on Andersson. The trooper has been discharged from the hospital but was not in a position to give a formal statement.
The injured woman was identified as Vanessa Monique 23 years old is a native of Phoenix and lived with the suspect, officials said.
Milstead said that Escobar was a Mexican and was “out of status” in the US, he had no known criminal record, but it is alleged that he had served in that County’s federal police several years ago.
While the good Samaritan had no police or military background, he keeps training with members of both the professions and practices with his gun three to four times a year.
AMandeep
