Joseph Gomez
A Pacifica police officer and Peninsula native was honored for saving the life of one of the victims of the shooting at YouTube headquarters in San Bruno.
Officer Joseph Gomez was presented the Departmental Life Saving Medal for his actions on April 3, when three people were shot and injured during the attack.
Gomez was among the first responders to the scene. He immediately discovered a man bleeding profusely from gunshot wounds to the chest and back, dressed the wounds and provided aid before the medics arrived.
The man also suffered a punctured lung.
Fortunately, Gomez was carrying a particularly stocked first-aid kit meant for significant injuries that he purchased with his own money, and had previously taken medical courses on his own volition that prepared him for the moment.
“I wouldn’t have been able to do what I did if I hadn’t purchased that kit and taken extra medical courses,” he said. “I probably wouldn’t have known what to do.”
All three victims survived the attack by 39-year-old Nasim Aghdam, who shot herself after wounding the YouTube employees.
“We were told by medics that had Gomez not stopped the sucking chest wound and placed the dressings the way he did the victim definitely would’ve died,” said Pacifica Police Chief Dan Steidle. “We’re very proud of him.”
Steidle said the Departmental Life Saving Medal has been awarded to three officers since he became chief in 2015.
“It’s a pretty special thing when it does occur,” he said.
San Bruno Police Chief Ed Barbarini expressed his gratitude for Gomez and the support provided by agencies outside of San Bruno, where the shooting occurred.
“It’s a stressful situation, there was a lot happening and for him to be able to do that so quickly while we addressed other urgent needs was invaluable,” Barbarini said. “We pride ourselves as a county for working together well and this was another example of that.”
Gomez has been an officer with the Pacifica Police Department for five years. He grew up in Belmont and attended Ralston Middle School and Carlmont High School.
“I appreciate the recognition from everybody but I honestly don’t feel like a hero, I just did my job,” he said. “I did save a life and it’s something that will stick with me for the rest of my career.”
Barbarini said awards for officers in the San Bruno department who responded to the YouTube shooting will be announced next week and presented at a ceremony June 12.
(650) 344-5200 ex. 102
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Murder for Two Read moreMurder For Two
Much Ado About Nothing: A Modern Verse Translation, tells the timeless and hilarious story o… Read moreMills High School Much Ado About Nothing: A Modern Translation
Dirk van Ulden said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.