Who is Tina Shaw? Memphis cop hailed as 'superhero' after stopping teen father from jumping off bridge
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE: A police officer has gone viral for all the good reasons and called a “superhero” after she rescued a teenager, who reportedly wanted to kill himself. Tina Shaw bravely executed the difficult task on February 2 when the 17-year-old unnamed young man tried to jump off the I-40 bridge due to the sudden pressure he felt after becoming a father.
As per reports, the cop, who is part of the Memphis Police Department’s Crisis Intervention Team, has now spoken up about the incident. She told ABC 24 News, “The Spirit just led me to go there to see what was going on there and who all was there,” before continuing, “I got out and at this point, he was already over the ledge. He was hanging over the ledge and then he finally went all the way over. Turned his body facing the water.”
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‘I saw the fear in his eyes'
Shaw went on to explain, “Time was of the essence ... we didn’t want him to make one wrong move. Hey, can I come to help you? Can I get you down?’ He was crying and I saw the fear in his eyes. I was telling him about me being a mother. I think that’s what kind of drove him home.”
The officer with 15 years of experience noted that after the teen was brought to safety, it was a very emotional moment for both of them. She added, “He was crying when I helped him get down. It's like we immediately just hugged each other. A few tears roll down my eyes while his were still flowing. It was like a mother and son as if he was my third child, my third son.”
‘THIS is what a real police officer does. Well done, Officer Shaw’
After the successful mission, a photo of Shaw with the teen was shared on Facebook by the police department. The caption said, “Officer Shaw spoke to him for nearly 15 minutes and convinced him to hold on to her while she helped him to safety. After he was pulled from the ledge, they hugged, and Officer Shaw told him, ‘things will get better.’ He thanked her for being there and helping him.”
That post and several other posts commending Shaw attracted a plethora of positive comments, like “Let’s not forget how many officers love their job and would (& do) give their lives daily. Clearly many go the extra mile. Thank you MPD & Officer Shaw. A good reminder,” “THIS is what a real police officer does. Well done, Officer Shaw,” “Thank you for being his hero,” and “Thank you Officer Shaw for saving this young man's life. You are a blessing to Memphis Police Department!”
Referring to all the praises, Shaw reportedly concluded, “People were saying I'm a superhero; I'm an angel. I appreciate all that dearly, I really do. This is something that I normally do every day that kind of gets unnoticed. I'm OK with that because I signed up to be a CIT officer. I just tried to display the transparency of officers versus being a human being. I know it just wasn’t me it was God in me."