The morning of Friday, March 2nd started just as any other weekday morning. My alarm went off at 6:45, I got up, woke the kids and went downstairs to wait while they get ready for school. At approximately 6:50 am, I heard the loudest, most shocking noise I have likely ever heard. I can only describe it as sounding like a mac truck had just hit a trash dumpster.
I immediately ran outside to see what it was. I looked to the left and saw my next-door neighbor, Stephan, (who also happens to be the father of my daughter's best friend) standing, covered in blood, with shrapnel lodged all throughout his body and his hands nearly blown off. His face had a large gash on the lower side, it looked as if he was hit with an ax. He had a glazed over look on his face, but his eyes were open. Within five seconds, he looked at me and collapsed onto his side.
I ran to him and couldn't tell if he was breathing so I gave him two rescue breaths. I couldn't do chest compressions as his chest was full of shrapnel and I feared I would lodge it in further if I did. I assume my rescue breaths helped as he gasped as soon as I did them. I repeatedly yelled his name, but he was totally unresponsive. All around me, the neighborhood was in utter chaos, but I heard not a sound other than the sound of his gurgling blood. Meanwhile, there were screaming neighbors, and worse, the screams of "My daddy is dead! My daddy is dead!" coming from his little angel who saw him like that.
I put him in the rescue position to try and keep him from drowning in his own blood before calling 911. I followed their instructions until EMS arrived approximately two minutes later. Simultaneously, but unnoticed by me at the time, another neighbor grabbed his daughter from inside the house and took her to his wife and his home.
The first EMS person to arrive looked at him and said: "Is he even alive?". I responded, "Yes, he is breathing! Now, why don't you keep it that way?".
http://archive.today/2018.03.24-030810/https://www.facebook.com/sean.philips/posts/10215771234335887