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Officer who helped to save man after machete attack downtown honored by sheriff

Last month, Desmond Thomas raced outside to apply a tourniquet to a bleeding man after a machete attack.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Facility Security Officer Desmond Thomas works at the Franklin County courthouse downtown. He does not carry a weapon.

So, back on Aug. 11, he was not taking a knife to a gunfight. He was taking nothing to a knife fight.

“The only thing that crossed my mind was that I wanted to go out there and help this individual because that’s what I would want for myself,” Thomas said. “My own safety didn’t even cross my mind until maybe I was like six feet away from him, then I thought, uh, this may not have been the smartest move, but it was the best move I could think of at the time.”

Thomas had spotted a fight through the courthouse windows. He wasn’t sure how serious it was at first, but then he saw the glint of a knife, a machete, to be exact.

He raced outside, spraining his ankle along the way, rushing straight to the victim who already was bleeding, badly.

“I seen the wounds,” he said. “I immediately reached for my tourniquet. I let him know, I said, this is going to hurt, but I need you to bear with me, I’m going to do the best I can, and that’s when I started wrenching and trying to stop the blood as much as I can.”

As he was doing that, other Franklin County Sheriff’s deputies had rushed to help him. Several more were taking the suspect into custody.

“Their job is to provide security within the building itself, but they’re watching, they see everything going on, and, of course, when they see somebody in danger, no matter where they’re at, they’re going to respond and help them all they can,” Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin said.

Sheriff Baldwin took time on Thursday to honor the many men and women, both deputies and court security officers, who helped that day. A handful, including Thomas, received what is known as a chief’s coin, handed out in only the most special of circumstances.

“It’s so important to recognize your people for not only being good employees every day and doing their job and providing safety, but when something like this happens that’s out of the ordinary, life-endangering, I mean, it’s really our job to recognize our people for the great work they do,” the sheriff said.

Because of their efforts that day, the victim, John Gibson, survived his wounds. And the suspect, Tracey Neely was taken into custody. Neely has pleaded not guilty to felonious assault.

“I feel amazing,” Thomas said. “I feel that, even though I did put myself into a dangerous situation, that that was worth it in the end to know that this man’s life is now prolonged, and it didn’t end there on the steps.”

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