If Donald Teadt hadn’t stopped to help, a cell phone store employee confronting robbery suspects would have died of gunshot wounds on the street in south Denver last year.
But instead of fleeing when he heard gunfire, Teadt ran toward the commotion and found 21-year-old Luis Dominguez bleeding on the ground. Teadt applied pressure on the bullet wounds to slow the bleeding until police and paramedics arrived.
Dominguez survived the May 12, 2018, shooting, and Denver and the Daniels Fund honored Teadt Tuesday morning, presenting him with a $1,000 check for his heroism.
“Donald Teadt heard gunfire, saw a shooting victim fall to the ground and, contrary to what most people would do, ran towards this dangerous situation to help the victim,” said Linda Childears, president and CEO of the Daniels Fund. “We recognize his courage today with this award.”
Police arrested two men on suspicion of attempted murder of Dominguez as well as on two robbery charges.
Doctors who treated Dominguez after the shooting told police that the man was near death when he arrived, according to a Denver Police Department news release.
“We are fortunate as a community that there are people like Donald Teadt who go above and beyond to help others, and I thank him for helping a stranger in a dire situation,” Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen said in the release. “His actions serve as an inspiration to us all to make a difference in our community.”
