On Monday just before midnight, two men were severely injured in an act of violence that took place in a shooting attack on Highway 6. United Hatzalah EMTs Sleman Heen and Mohamed Ras quickly started providing initial treatment to the injured individuals, bandaging their wounds in order to stop the bleeding.
“While I was treating the man with the head injury, I heard a motorcycle approach us from behind,” Sleman recounted. “Suddenly, a man stood behind me and started shooting at point-blank range. Bullets flew between my legs and I didn’t have time to move. He fired off a few rounds, got back on his motorcycle and sped off. Thankfully, when the shooting ended, I was unharmed, but two bullets hit the patient in his lower limbs. He started losing a lot of blood.”
When the shooting took place, Mohamed, who was treating the second patient, immediately ran to take cover. “When the shooting ended, we ensured that the shooter was gone and continued providing treatment, together with other medical responders who began to arrive,” he added. “We packed and bandaged the gunshot wounds to stop the bleeding, and provided both of the injured men with oxygen and fluids.”
“This is not my first time treating gunshot injuries, but it’s a different feeling to get shot at while providing treatment. I’m still trying to take in what happened,” Sleman added. “I’m thankful that I wasn’t injured and that we were able to stabilize the patients and help save their lives.”
