On Saturday, May 28th, 2005, at approximately 2 am in the morning, Trooper Brandon Brashear of the Missouri State Patrol pulled Tommy R. Rollins over to the side of Highway 470.  Brashear suspected that Rollins may have been driving under the influence of alcohol and was in pursuit of Rollins who gave chase for several minutes before pulling over.  Several other troopers were en route to Brashear’s location.

As Brashear stepped from his vehicle, a hail storm of bullets began pelting his vehicle, his bullet proof vest and his body.  Brashear moved quickly to the rear of his vehicle to take cover and return fire but had already sustained serious injuries as Rollins came at him continuing to fire his semi-automatic assault rifle. 

 Rollins then fled the scene and later turned himself in at an Independence bar where he told the owner to call the police.  Brashear lay on the side of Highway 470 with more than ten gun shot wounds in his legs, abdominal area, arm, neck and head.

When Brashear failed to respond to dispatch calls, surrounding agencies descended upon his location in minutes.  First on the scene were fellow State Troopers, Seargent Dale Jinkens and Lieutenant Mike Cross.  They found Brashear in a grassy ditch several feet from his vehicle conscious and alert.  Instantly, LifeFlight Eagle was requested.

Brashear, 27 at the time of the shooting, had thought about becoming a State Trooper since his high school days.  He became very serious about applying and testing during his senior year of college.  In 2003, Brashear was accepted as a Trooper.  Two short years later he found himself pinned down behind his patrol vehicle with multiple gunshot wounds.

Troopers Jinkens and Cross had administered as much first aid as they could, then Lee’s Summit Fire Department arrived and got an IV started on Brashear.  As the team worked to sustain his life, LifeFlight Eagle’s Bell 407 came overhead carrying flight nurse Valerie Doyle and flight paramedic Mark Bradford.  With uneven terrain and overhead wires in the area, it took pilot John Kronke several minutes to land the aircraft safely.  Brashear recalls hearing the hovering helicopter.  The sound of rotor blades would haunt him weeks later as he recalled the predicament that, at the time, hardly seemed real to him.

“I knew I was going to die,” says Brashear.  “But I remained calm and never actually went into shock.  When you know the end is coming there is nothing to do but remain calm.”

Despite Brashear’s many wounds, incredibly nothing vital was injured.  LifeFlight Eagle flight nurse Valerie Doyle, recalls the mission.

“In many cases we’re on the ground for at least a few minutes to assess the patient, begin care and prepare for the transport.  With Trooper Brashear we scooped him up and ran.”

During the five minute flight to Research Medical Center, Doyle recalls providing all the basics to Brashear – maintaining pressure on wounds, monitoring vital signs, which were surprisingly good considering Brashear’s condition – and continually talking to him during the flight.

“This was a flight where speed was the ultimate object,” says Doyle.

“Of course speed is always a part of the equation for our patients, but Brashear needed a surgeon fast and that’s what we gave him.”

Brashear was on the operating table less than 30 minutes after his attack.

Brashear never lost consciousness until he was induced into a two week long coma that would give his body the best chance possible to heal.  Until that moment he communicated with Doyle and the Research Medical Center staff in a clear professional manner.

When asked if he was a police officer, Brashear replied, “no sir, I am a State Trooper.”

Brashear’s lead surgeon, Dr. Dennis Arce, did not believe Brashear would survive at first.  In fact, several doctors told Brashear’s parents he would more than likely not survive, particularly when Brashear developed a severe infection after extensive surgery on his abdomen to repair bowel and liver damage.

A powerful antibiotic and his excellent physical condition pulled Brashear through as his parents waited by his side.  At the end of his two week coma, Brashear woke up to his parents and an eight inch hole in his stomach which, at the time, could not be closed due to his infection.

“I didn’t expect that I would ever be waking up,” says Brashear.  “None of it seemed real.  But when I saw myself in the mirror I knew.”

Brashear had lost twenty five pounds of muscle in his fight to stay alive.  But he survived.

“I attribute Trooper Brashear’s amazing recovery to his rapid transport by LifeFlight Eagle, the skill of the Research Medical Center team, Brashear’s top physical condition and the strength of his family pulling for him,” says Dr. Dennis Arce.  “It speaks to the fact that when we work as a team, great things can happen.”

Rollins was captured quickly after the incident on May 28th.  He has yet to be tried for his assault on Trooper Brashear.  Upon his arrest, Rollins was immediately charged with Armed Criminal Action and First Degree Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer.  At the time of Rollins’ pursuit, he was on his way to an ex-supervisor’s home to do harm.  Rollins was also later charged with first degree assault against his ex-supervisor. The trial is expected soon.

Trooper Brashear returned to duty as a Missouri State Trooper just five months after his near fatal encounter with Rollins on May 28th.  He has continued on light duty since October 24th working in the evidence department.  With physical therapy, Brashear continues to improve the use of his left arm and left leg, both of which sustained nerve damage from gunshot wounds. 

“I’m grateful to all of the EMS professionals who helped to save my life,” says Brashear.  “Without their swift action and skill, I would not be here today.”