Body cam video shows officer rescue man left to die in parking lot

MARIETTA, Ga. — Body camera video captured the moment a Marietta police officer saved a father who was shot and left to die in a parking lot outside his apartment.

Officer Joe Jenkins heard the call over the radio and rushed to the scene.

"I knew that urgency of the call and decided to respond," the officer told Channel 2's Chris Jose. "You never know. Sometimes these scenes turn rapidly."

Santos Vincente had been robbed, shot and left for dead in the parking lot of his apartment complex after someone followed him home from the grocery store.

He was bleeding out when Jenkins arrived at the scene.

"The scene was more like a combat zone. There was a lot of blood which would've been frightening to a lot of people," he said.

Despite the tense moments, the six-year veteran wasn't fazed. He created a tourniquet that helped save the man's life.

Jenkins credited his training and his 14 years with the United States Marine Corps.

"Moments like this are the reasons why we chose this profession," he said.

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Jose tracked down Vincente, who had a message he wanted to share with the department.

"I'm glad. I have a second try at life. I appreciate them," he said.

Vincente survived the April 2018 shooting and agreed on Wednesday to talk about the attack for the first time.

"They hit my head first, so that’s why I didn’t see who did it. Because it was night. It was dark," Vincente said.

The husband and father of two believes someone followed him to his apartment on Chesnut Hill. Police said the shooter still has not been identified and the case remains unsolved.

"To be honest, all of us were surprised that this individual lived," Marietta police officer Chuck McPhilamy told Jose.

On Monday, the police chief honored Jenkins with a prestigious medal for his bravery.

Cox Media Group