California Highway Patrol officials held a news conference today to honor an off-duty nurse who rendered aid to an officer who had been shot during a traffic stop on Highway 99 last month.
Joni Fletcher, a cardiac cath lab nurse at Sutter Medical Center in Sacramento, was buying a car with her husband at an Elk Grove dealership the night of Nov. 13 when they heard gunshots ring out.
She ran outside and saw a CHP officer lying on the ground on the highway shoulder. When he told her he had been shot, she scaled an 8-foot fence to get to him and rendered aid for up to 20 minutes before paramedics arrived.
Photo gallery: CHP honors off-duty nurse
The officer, who had been shot in the wrist and the groin, survived. His alleged shooter, 68-year-old Richard Bisbee, was fatally shot by officers shortly after the shooting.
Assistant Chief Ken Hill of the CHP's Valley Division presented Fletcher with two certificates and thanked her for her help. CHP spokesman Officer Michael Bradley described her as "courageous."
"She truly is a hero," Hill told reporters.
Fletcher, who appeared embarrassed by the attention, said she is happy she was there to help the officer, who is now recovering at home.
"I was just doing my job I do every day," she said.
Photo caption: R.N. Joni Fletcher smiles as she is honored at Sutter Memorial Hospital Thursday morning by the California Highway Patrol for her quick administering of aid to an injured CHP officer last month. Photo by Jose Luis Villegas / jvillegas@sacbee.com
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