Officer Robert McKay Jr. was named the Hawai‘i Island Security and Safety Professionals Association (HISSPA) Officer of the Quarter for Q3 2022. On Monday, August 15, 2022, Central Dispatch received a report of a 15-year-old female attempting to commit suicide within a Waimea residence. Familiar with the parties involved, Officer McKay Jr., a 10 year veteran on the Hawaiʻi County Police force, responded to the residence as fast as safely possible in hopes of preventing the child from harming herself. While en-route, he learned that the teen had locked herself in a bathroom and that she was not breathing. Arriving on scene, Officer McKay Jr. ran into the house and observed the child’s mother knocking on the bathroom door with no response from within. He immediately breached the door and observed the unresponsive teen. He was able to revive the girl and exhibited an inordinate amount of compassion consoling her until Hawai‘i Fire Department medics arrived on scene to treat her. Because Officer McKay Jr. was concerned that the child needed immediate intervention and placement to prevent a second suicide attempt, he contacted the State of Hawai‘i Child Welfare Services and informed them of the facts and circumstances related to the incident.
Roughly two weeks later, on September 1, 2022, Officer McKay Jr. once again responded to a life-or-death situation, this time a report of a stabbing at a Waikoloa resort. It was reported that a woman had been stabbed and was trapped with the suspect in the same room. Officer McKay Jr. was the first officer on scene when he arrived at the hotel room he saw the victim’s room door was partially open with profuse amounts of blood smeared over the entire floor. He then spotted the victim drenched in blood behind the door. Recognizing that the victim needed immediate medical intervention to save her life and knowing that the suspect was within the room with a weapon, Officer McKay Jr. exemplified courage in the face of danger and entered the room in search of the suspect. He discovered the suspect lying in the bedroom of the suite unresponsive. Scanning the dark area for a weapon, he initially did not see a serrated steak knife near the suspect’s feet. Determining that the suspect was alive but unconscious, he secured the suspect and placed him in the recovery position (laying on his side to prevent asphyxiation and choking), which prompted the suspect to vomit. Retrieving some towels, Officer McKay Jr. returned to the victim and instructed her to apply firm pressure to the stab wounds to stop the bleeding. He then alerted Emergency Medical Services (EMS) that the scene was safe for them to respond. EMS medics responded to the scene and transported the victim to an area hospital. Officer McKay Jr. undoubtedly saved the lives of both the victim and the suspect with his rapid response, quick thinking, and courage to enter a deadly situation alone with very little information. The suspect was subsequently charged with second-degree attempted murder and remains in the custody of the Hawai‘i Department of Public Safety.
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