Aurora Police, Resident Honored For Rescuing Drowning Boy

AURORA, IL — A part of Tuesday night's City Council meeting, the last one of the year, was dedicated to the six police officers and one Aurora resident who rescued a 9-year-old boy from drowning in November.

The six officers responsible for rescuing Tyshaun LaFlore in a neighborhood pond the day before Thanksgiving received special awards and proclamations for their efforts. Shannon O’Neal, the neighbor who jumped in to help him before police arrived, was also honored.

The meeting began at 5 p.m. at Aurora City Hall, 44 E. Downer Place. For those who weren’t able to attend, a livestream can be found on the city's Facebook page.

The following is a look at who was honored and how they were involved in the heroic effort.

• Shannon O'Neal, the neighbor who jumped into the water to keep the boy afloat
• Officer Alexander Lopez, an officer who went into the water
• Officer Andrew Soderlund, an officer who went into the water
• Officer Darren Pedota, who pulled officers, O'Neal and the boy from the water
• Officer Victor Garcia, who pulled officers, O'Neal and the boy from the water
• Officer Vincent Nardone, who pulled officers, O'Neal and the boy from the water
• Officer Adan Barraza, who pulled officers, O'Neal and the boy from the water

Officers were called to a home in the 2000 block of Fox Pointe Drive around 4:30 p.m. after receiving a 911 call about a boy who was drowning after falling through ice trying to get his football off the pond's surface.

RELATED: Boy, Woman Rescued By Cops After Boy Falls Through Ice In Aurora

Before officers arrived, Shannon O’Neal, a former lifeguard and LaFlore's neighbor, jumped "without hesitation" into the icy, 15-foot-deep water after her son ran into their home screaming that LaFlore, who he was playing football with, fell into the water, said Clayton Muhammad, the city's chief communications officer.

Once she reached the boy, who struggled to stay afloat as the ice he tried grabbing kept breaking, she "tried to calm him while she held his head above water" until police arrived, Muhammad said.

Two officers, Alexander Lopez and Andrew Soderlund, jumped into the water to help the boy and O'Neal, and other officers used water rescue kits and ropes to pull everyone to safety.

LaFlore and the two officers who jumped in were taken to a local hospital to be treated for minor injuries and were released later in the day, Patch reported.

After O'Neal was treated at the scene and checked for hypothermia, she returned to her apartment where she dried off and changed before signing a release and returned to prepping food for Thanksgiving dinner, according to Muhammad.

A few weeks later, under "a lot less stressful circumstances," LaFlore reconnected with Soderlund to shop together during Aurora Police Department's Shop with a Cop event at Meijer Dec. 10.

Police said his attendance at the event was "heartwarming to see," Patch reported.

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