Retiring Evanston Cop Reunited With Girl Whose Life He Saved

EVANSTON, IL — A veteran Evanston cop bid an emotional farewell to the force after 26 years of service on Friday. On his last day of work at the Evanston Police Department, Officer Mark Buell was reunited with an infant whose live he saved earlier this year and her grateful parents. Buell told WMAQ-TV it was "one of the most intense calls" he had ever experienced in his career and he continues to think about it every day.

The call initially came in as an incident of domestic violence, but Buell, along with officers Pedro Carrasco and Heidi Bernhardt, arrived to find a young girl who had stopped breathing. Police said officers began performing first aid and rushed the baby to St. Francis Hospital in a squad car driven by Buell, Evanston Now reported, with the baby showing no signs of life when they arrived at the hospital but eventually making a full recovery.

Buell plans to pick up the hobby of building bird houses in his retirement, according to Evanston Now. He told WMAQ he would miss being a cop.

"I hope I can look back at that and hopefully tell some corny stories to tell the grandkids," Buell said.

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