DeKalb County police officers stopped a woman from jumping off an overpass above I-20 early Sunday morning. During the dramatic hour-long incident, which was partially captured on police body camera, an officer is seen grabbing the woman's clothing through a chain-link fence on Candler Road over the interstate.
In a heartfelt post on Facebook afterwards, one of the officers involved said the interaction with the 29-year-old woman had a profound impact on him.
“I went to church on Sunday morning not in a building but on a bridge,” the officer, Howie Sankofa, wrote.
Sankofa said he “spoke to her not as a policeman, but as a person who has felt hopeless and alone. I wanted this woman to know that she was not alone, that her life mattered, and that I was there to help.”
The call lasted about an hour, the officer said. When the woman leaned back, he said, he convinced her to grab the fence, before reaching through and grabbing her shirt and tights.
“I kept talking and she kept listening, until she finally decided not to jump,” Sankofa wrote.
The woman, who was not identified, eventually walked on her own back down a ledge to safety. She was taken to an area hospital to be evaluated.
Officials shut down the interstate and Candler Road during the incident, which started about 4:45 a.m. Sunday, the police department said.
“After all this time I almost failed this woman, but she summoned the strength to save herself,” the officer wrote. “This incident has given purpose to my 18-year police career. This woman helped me just as much as I helped her, and I will be eternally grateful for the moments we shared on that bridge this past Sunday morning.”
DeKalb said it participates in the International Association of Chiefs of Police’s “One Mind Campaign,” where officers are taught how to respond to people affected by mental illness and trained in managing crisis.
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