Over the past several days, Petal Police Department officer LaDean Byrd has been called a hero, a savior and everything in between.
But even after helping to rescue a 5-year-old boy from drowning in a hotel pool earlier this month, Byrd is steadfastly rejecting those labels.
“It wasn’t me – it was all God,” Byrd said. “I just was there and did what was right.
“There was no motivation; it was just an immediate response. I just acted – I did it without knowing, out of instinct.”
The incident happened last weekend, when Byrd and his family were taking a break at the Best Western Seaway Inn in Gulfport after his kids’ first week of school. The family had been at the hotel’s pool for about 30 minutes when a child went under the water and didn’t immediately surface.
“A grandmother who had five grandchildren – I guess she was on a little getaway with them as well – she had them in the shallow end of the pool, and I was on the opposite end where the hot tub was at,” Byrd said. “One of the children went under, and no one knew it because there was so many people in the pool area – there was approximately 75 to 100 people outside in the pool.
“He went under and was probably under for a minimum of 45 seconds.”
Another man on the scene attempted to rescue the child, but was unable to get him out of the pool. At that point, Byrd jumped in the pool, grabbed the boy and put him on the pool deck, where he performed CPR for several minutes until first responders arrived.
Paramedics took the boy to Garden Park Medical Center in Gulfport, where Byrd followed them to spend time with the child, grandmother and other family members. After sedating the child and getting him in stable condition, emergency workers transported him to the University of South Alabama Medical Center in Mobile, Alabama.
“He’s been in recovery ever since,” Byrd said. “Actually, they just pulled him off the ventilator (Friday) evening, and he’s expected to make a full recovery.
“His mother is with him, and she’s in constant communication with me, letting me know what’s going on. She actually FaceTimes me and lets me see him and all that. “So he’s in full recovery, and they’re expecting a full recovery out of him.”
The family of the 5-year-old, who is from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, declined to comment on the matter until the child is fully recovered.
“It wasn’t me (that saved him),” Byrd said. “It was an act of God.”
