Office worker honored for saving life of KCPD officer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - At a ceremony usually reserved for Kansas City Police officers and civilian staff, a man with no connection to the department was honored for saving an officer’s life.
It’s been almost six months since a motorcycle officer was nearly killed when a car hit him and threw him off his bike.
Several bystanders rushed to his aid, all helping in their own way but Tony Carey had the quick thinking to do what many wouldn’t consider.
“I’m just another human out there trying to help somebody who was down,” Carey said outside the ceremony, “and I’d hope somebody would do the same for me.”
October 16 started as a regular day at the office for him. He was working at 333 Rent at 72nd Street and Troost Avenue when he heard a loud boom. A coworker at the window yelled out that there was a wreck just outside. He ran out to the street.
“You just start rushing,” he said of that day. “I didn’t even really think about it until the very end.”
A Toyota had collided with the motorcycle. Carey watches crime dramas on TV. He thought to look for the officer’s two-way radio and started pressing buttons.
“And then realized the lady’s car was still running next to me, was leaking all the fluids out,” Carey described. “So, I ran over and put her car in park, shut her car off, and then ran back over and started pressing more buttons and finally got the right one.”
It triggered an “Assist the Officer” alarm. That clearing the air for a faster response than a 911 call.
Carey received a certificate of appreciation from the Kansas City Police Chief and Board of Police Commissioners for his quick action. Before he left the stage, Chief Stacey Graves whispered in the announcer’s ear to add something. The award came on Carey’s birthday.
“That day, someone came to our aid. We’re usually in that situation where we’re responding to help others. That day, he helped us,” said Graves.
It’s rare, she said, to present an award to someone outside of the department, but what he did was special.
“If anybody had any question about their faith in humanity, he restored it that day,” said Graves. “He filled a lot of cups for officers, knowing that we’re not out here alone, that people will come and help us and come to our aid when we need help just like we come to the aid of others.”
Seven officers were also honored for saving lives. They received the department’s life-saving award.
Officer Ryan Mose helped save a 15-year-old who’d been shot in the leg in 2022 and was losing a lot of blood. It was a chaotic crime scene with several other teens surrounding the boy, police said, but gathered around, but Mose jumped in to apply a tourniquet to stop the bleeding until EMS arrived.
Officer Kaile Sipple helped save a 6-year-old boy who was shot in the head in April of last year. Police said she held his head, compressed the wound to slow the bleeding and used soothing words to keep him calm as loved ones were wailing and screaming.
At awards ceremonies, officers will often respond to questions about heroism with humility, saying they were just doing their job, fulfilling their professional duty to protect and serve. Carey said he too was doing his job, as a human being.
“Our job is to protect each other. They do it all the time. Luckily, I was there to help him when he needed it,” Carey said. “I’m just another human out there trying to help somebody who was down, and I’d hope somebody would do the same for me.”
That motorcycle officer was not at the ceremony, but one of his commanders approached Carey to share a message of gratitude from the officer and his wife. Police said that officer is now back to work on light duty. Carey hasn’t met him yet but hopes he can one day. Police said they are working to arrange that.
The driver of the Toyota who hit the officer’s motorcycle did stop and cooperate with police. Police said she was cited for a minor traffic violation for turning left in front of the officer too closely to give him time to safely stop his motorcycle.
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