Columbus police officer named Piedmont First Friday Hero for March after saving infant

Columbus police officer Shane Abreo was patrolling a shopping center in the south part of the city when a man approached him and said someone wasn’t breathing inside his car.

Abreo saw an infant in the back seat and called for EMS.

He took the infant and performed lifesaving measure and was able to clear the baby’s airway before EMS arrived on the scene.

The swift action save the baby’s life and likely prevented possible brain damage, according to Piedmont Columbus Regional, which named Abreo its First Friday Hero for the month of March.

A ceremony will be held for officer Abreo at 8:15 a.m. , Friday, March 8 at the Public Safety Building located at 500 E 10th Street, according to Piedmont.

Piedmont Columbus Regional created the First Friday Hero program in mid-2016 to recognize first responders each month who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. Their line of work is often a thankless job and we want to make the community aware of our local heroes and all they do to make Columbus a better and safer place.