YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — A paramedic cared for a man suspected of sexual assault who a day before had shot at her husband, a police officer, during a police chase.
When the suspect, Luis Cruz Ramos, was arrested paramedic Lorie Burton cared for him, reported WKBN.
When they got to the hospital Lorie Burton let Ramos know what he did to her husband, Youngstown police officer Bill Burton.
“I looked at him and I said, ‘The officer you shot at the other night was my husband, the father of five children.’ He looked at me,” Lorie said. “And I said, ‘By God’s grace, he was protected from your bullets and by God’s grace, I forgive you.’ And they wheeled him out and I never spoke another word to him.”
Bill was nearly shot by Ramos after the fugitive fired at Bill’s cruiser during the chase. The bullet hit the driver’s side windshield of the police cruiser. Bill says he didn’t even try to duck out of the way.
“I felt something cross my face, and the windshield blew out. It happened that fast, so you really didn’t have time to process anything,” Bill said.
“It’s just …God’s grace and the Ford engineers,” Bill said. “How I was sitting and the way the car was designed, I was just far enough back, so it wasn’t going to hit anything.”
After being shot at, Bill continued pursuit of Ramos who was not arrested until the next day.
Lorie happened to be one of the paramedics who cared for Ramos after he was apprehended.
“We get there and it was business as usual,” Lorie said. “You are taking care of a patient; you are not taking care of a person who did this. You’re taking care of a person who has an injury; you’re taking care of someone who is in pain.”
“I know it was emotional for her. I absolutely know that inside she had to be in complete turmoil … but she knew she had to do what needed to be done,” Bill said.