By Nicky Andrews
Daily Times-Call
LONGMONT, Colo. — The Longmont Police Department recognized two Longmont residents and the crew of UC Health Lifeline One Flight Crew on June 25 for their quick actions in caring for shooting victim Nicki Douglass-Johansen on March 20.
At 1:35 p.m. on March 20, police received a report of a woman who had been shot in the driveway of her home. Douglass-Johansen had been shot in the neck and thigh and the suspect reportedly fled the scene. After hearing the gunshots, Karl Veitch and Will Osborn, who are Douglass-Johansen’s neighbors ran to aid her.
Osborn, a paramedic, grabbed his medical supplies and rushed outside to find Veitch, a former Boulder police officer, applying pressure to Douglass-Johansen’s neck. Together they positioned her to control the bleeding and improve her ability to breathe until paramedics showed up, according to Longmont Police Chief Jeff Satur,
“I found Karl holding pressure on the bleeding in an attempt to stop it, I made the call to remove her from her vehicle and lay her flat on the ground so that I can examine her more closely and have an easier time controlling the bleeding,” Osborn wrote in a statement. “After we laid her down her overall condition improved, albeit slightly, and the bleeding was easier to attempt to control.”
Satur noted that at the time of their assistance, neither Osborn nor Veitch knew where the shooter was.
Flight paramedic Kris Schott (right) hugs Nicki Douglass-Johansen (left) who was shot March 20 in the neck and thigh in front of her children Ella Douglass-Johansen and Elam Douglass-Johansen (below). Along with Schott, flight nurse Caley Nicholson (far right) was also recognized by Longmont Police Chief Jeff Satur (far left). (Courtesy of Longmont Public Safety)
“These two individuals, they didn’t know where the person who was involved in the shooting was yet they still came over to help,” Satur said. “It highlights there are good people out in our community who are willing to step up even when its potentially risking their safety.”
Osborn said soon after an ambulance arrived and within a couple of minutes, Douglass-Johansen was being transported to the hospital.
“I wanted to say thanks to everyone in the Longmont emergency services, and the two instructors from Front Range Community College who also responded to that call,” Osborn wrote, noting that one of the instructors taught him when he was in EMT training. “They helped prepare me for that terrible event. I’m just happy I could help out when I was needed to. I hope for nothing but the best and as speedy of a recovery as possible for Nicki and her family as they continue to recover from this.”
During the city council meeting on June 25, teary eyes throughout the room watched as the first responders that day got to meet the woman they helped save. Police also recognized the UC Health Lifeline One Flight Crew for their decision to transfer Douglass-Johansen despite her being in an unstable condition shortly after the shooting.
“This was a very difficult transport because her injuries were so significant that it was a really risky maneuver,” Satur said during the city council meeting. “But they stepped up, they got her to Denver, and she continues to thrive today.”
The department specifically recognized lead pilot Samantha Poirier, flight nurse Caley Nicholson and flight paramedic Kris Schott.
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