Trump praises S.C. deputy who saved infant’s life during traffic stop

By Patrick Phillips | July 14, 2020 at 9:40 AM EDT - Updated July 14 at 5:33 PM

WASHINGTON (WCSC) - President Donald Trump praised law enforcement officers, including a Berkeley County Sheriff’s deputy, during a Monday roundtable meeting at the White House.

Trump welcomed both law enforcement officers and people whose lives were saved by law enforcement. Trump said the law enforcement community has been “unfairly treated” and called the officers heroes.

Dramatic video has been released of a Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office deputy’s heroic actions saving the life of a 12-month-old baby. Picture Source - Berkeley County Sheriff's Office

Among those he recognized were Berkeley County Cpl. William Kimbro and Palm Beach County, Florida, Deputy Corey Reece.

Trump recognized Kimbro for a June 11, 2019, traffic stop in which Kimbro stopped a speeding vehicle in Summerville only to find out that a 12-day-old baby in the car, Ryleigh, had stopped breathing.

“While leaving out of my neighborhood, Officer Kimbro came,” Ryleigh’s mother, Kemira Boyd, said at the meeting. “He was coming into the neighborhood and he immediately pulled me over. And we immediately jumped out, and he just took her from my arms and proceeded helping her.”

Kimbro immediately began first aid on the non-responsive baby and was able to get the baby to start breathing again until EMS arrived.

Deputy W. Kimbro Saves 12-day-old Baby
When we wear the uniform and badge, we become what someone needs at that moment. For one Deputy that meant he needed to become the line between life and death for one young child. On June 11, a Deputy was conducting routine patrol in the unincorporated Summerville area of Berkeley County when he stopped a vehicle for speeding. What happens next was all captured on his department-issued body camera. Upon stopping the vehicle, the driver immediately exited the car and exclaimed that the baby in her vehicle had stopped breathing. Deputy W. Kimbro knew he needed to act immediately to save the baby’s life. Deputy Kimbro made contact with the 12-day-old baby and her mother in the vehicle. The mother told the Deputy the baby stopped breathing after drinking a bottle. Deputy Kimbro took the baby’s limp and cyanotic body and performed lifesaving first aid. As a result, he was able to get the baby to breathe again until EMS could arrive. Because of Deputy Kimbro’s steadfast, professional and heroic response, the 12-day old baby was able to live. Please join us in congratulating Deputy Kimbro for his gallant actions that prolonged human life. He was awarded the “Life-Saving Medal” from Sheriff Lewis for his heroic actions that day. Well done!
Posted by Berkeley County Sheriff's Office on Thursday, July 11, 2019

The incident was captured on Kimbro’s department-issued body camera.

“You don’t hear those stories,” Trump said. “That’s why I think it’s important to have a meeting like this.”

Kimbro received the Live 5 Hall of Fame Award in July, 2019, for his actions that helped save the child’s life.

Several days after the stop, Kimbro said he was watching TV with his wife when it hit him hard.

“I lost it! I starting crying. I broke down! She told me it would be okay,” Kimbro said.

Berkeley County Sheriff Duane Lewis said at the time of the award that Kimbro shows a different side of law enforcement.

“It’s not always about cops and robbers and bad guys,” Lewis said. “It’s about helping and being there when they need us, and he was there.”

Lewis awarded Kimbro the “Life-Saving Medal” for his heroic actions that day.

At the White House meeting, Kimbro told Trump that Boyd asked him and his wife to become Ryleigh’s godparents.

“We’ve been blessed, and we just -- it’s been a wonderful experience,” Kimbro said.

“Great job,” Trump said. “The police do such a great job, and there’s an example. That’s fantastic.”

“The police do such a great job, and there’s an example. That’s fantastic.” – President Donald J. Trump to Berkeley...
Posted by Berkeley County Sheriff's Office on Monday, July 13, 2020

Reece was honored for saving a four-year-old from an apparent kidnapping attempt while he was on vacation at a Tampa hotel. Reece was able to detain the man until Tampa Police arrived.

“You know, I was just doing what I was trained to do, what I was told to do,” Reece said. “You know, just being there at the right time, right place, and that’s it.”

“It’s called ‘natural instinct,’ right? More than anything else,” Trump said. “Thank you very much. Great job.”

Trump said the stories told at the meeting represent just a few “of the thousands and thousands of stories that we could tell.”

“The people of this country appreciate the police; they appreciate all they’ve done,” Trump said. “You don’t see that if you watch the news, for the most part. You don’t see things like this, but they’ve done a fantastic job.”

He said he will probably conduct a similar meeting again in the future.