The video shows Washington police officer Lori McClure, as she lifts the boy up, placing a wrist cuffs on the boy’s wrists and pulling him away. After a moment, McClure pops the boy’s heart back into his mouth and stands back. Her eyes fill with tears.
“I have heart disease,” the boy says as she pulls back the chest cuffs from his hands. “Oh, I have heart disease!”
At least a decade ago, McClure, a seven-year veteran, tested positive for a genetic condition that causes the heart to age faster, according to her attorney. Her service dog helped her on many of her stops, but the boy — who was 2 and wasn’t named at the time — seemed oblivious to the fact that McClure, who never had children of her own, was a mother. He didn’t stop crying even after she turned off the light.
“He kept crying because he was upset that I was going to do that,” McClure told NBC News. “And I was, like, ‘No I’m not. I just have to check your heart.’ ”
By the time McClure, 45, reached for the boy’s heart, he was limp and barely breathing. McClure directed the boy’s father to get a second set of cuffs. About 15 minutes later, McClure followed up with a request to see the boy.
“I’m going to check your heart, please,” she told him. “Do you understand? Please.”
