A Minnesota police department celebrated a man’s heroic act to save a man this week. However, the ceremony quickly backfired when he pointed out departmental inaction during the ceremony.
St. Paul Interim Police Chief Jeremy Ellison welcomed Alex Mingus with a police chief’s award for valor, Minnesota’s On Site Public Media reported, after he responded to a shooting near a gas station on Oct. 8.
Mingus was driving with his wife to work when he heard gunshots and followed a red van that “left at a high rate of speed” from the shooting, Ellison said.
The van later stopped and a man — who was “bleeding profusely” — exited the vehicle and asked for help, according to Ellison.
Ellison said Mingus wrapped a shirt around the shooting victim’s arm “to try and slow the bleeding”; an artery in the victim’s wrist had “been severely damaged by a bullet.”
“Doctors stated that the aid provided by Alex prevented this man from dying,” Ellison said.
Mingus, who said he is a certified firearms instructor, later was given an opportunity to speak and removed his sweatshirt to reveal a “Smash White Supremacy” T-shirt.
He alleged that nine squad cars “raced” past him as he tried to flag them down.
“That was a potential of 18 people, 18 people could’ve stopped to help preserve life but 18 people chose to go to a potential threat — and I recognize the man had a pistol and we didn’t know what he was doing,” Mingus said.
He later claimed he didn’t “rock” with the police and officers “don’t keep us safe; we keep us safe.”
You can watch the video of Mingus’ remarks, shot by RayLynn Prokasky, below.
The St. Paul Police Department did not immediately respond to a HuffPost request for comment.