“There is value in every human life. We are all children of God and I can’t imagine just watching anyone burn. No matter what other people have done to me, or other officers, I thought, ‘This guy deserves to make it home safely to his family.’”
This is how Daylan McLee of Uniontown, Pennsylvania, describes his decision to rescue a police officer from a mangled police car as flames were spreading into the cabin. Police officials have credited McLee with saving the life of Officer Jay Hanley. Uniontown Police Lt. Thomas Kolencik’s voice cracked as he told reporters at the scene, “Daylan actually said, ‘I’m not going to let him die.’ There’s just no words to describe, you know.”
Here’s what made Daylan McLee’s bravery especially unusual: he has been the victim of injustice in the past.
McLee, who is Black, spent a year in jail after an incident in March 2016 before a jury acquitted him of all charges after reviewing security video. That was a year away from his children and his mother, who was ill at the time and passed away last year.
He had another run-in with officers a few months ago, when he ran from a porch gathering after officers in plain clothes and vests approached with guns drawn. He said they did not announce they were officers and that he stopped running and put his hands behind his head when they said they were police. He said he was charged with fleeing and resisting arrest, but added that during the arrest, an officer kicked him in the face through a fence, splitting his lip. He said the use of force was caught on a security camera and that he plans to fight the charges.
After saving Officer Hanley’s life, McLee said he couldn’t blame every police officer for his bad interactions with some: “We need to work on our humanity . . . that’s the main problem of this world.” He added: “I don’t want to be…
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