A Northern Califonia third-grader received a medal of merit for quick thinking that saved her dad’s life, KTXL reported Monday.
Isabell Pierce’s father, Brian, was a victim during a chaotic shooting rampage perpetrated by a former Florence resident on January 15.
The father and daughter in the community of Newcastle, about 30 miles northeast of Sacramento, when they heard a loud noise. Not only had suspected shooter Stanley Stepanski III shot out the driver’s side window, but the bullet had hit Brian in the chest.
“Isabell absolutely remained calm and composed during the entire incident,” Placer County Sheriff Devon Bell said. “She said she needed to focus to keep her dad alive.”
Bell said Brian grabbed a sweatband and Isabell held it in place over the wound.
“Brian drove to a fire station in Loomis where he received medical aid. Isabell was able to keep pressure on the wound the entire drive,” Bell said.
Investigators say Stepanski shot and killed an elderly woman at her doorstep moments before Brian was shot. The sheriff’s office said Stepanski shot at other vehicles, homes and businesses before he was killed in a gun battle with a Roseville police officer.
Weeks later, Brian is recovering from his gunshot wound and celebrating his daughter’s bravery.
“I can’t imagine, at 8 years old, having the composure to know to apply direct pressure onto a wound so that she could take care of her dad so he could get to the fire station and get advanced medical care. Just amazing,” the sheriff said.
As for Isabell, who has five siblings, she says she’s getting some newfound recognition.
“Usually my teachers would say, ‘You’re Emily’s litter sister, right?’” Isabell said. “But now people are, like, to Emily, they’re like, ‘You’re Isabell’s older sister, right?’ So now they actually know who I am, I guess.”
