Holly MatkinOklahoma City, OK – Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) Deputy Jeremy McCain died in the line of duty on Monday, more than a week after he was crushed by a security gate at the school where he worked.
The 36-year-old school resource officer was driving off of the Oklahoma Christian School campus in East Edmond on March 10 when his patrol car ran into a portion of a partially-opened security gate at approximately 6:50 p.m., The Oklahoman reported.
Deputy McCain was traveling less than 10 miles per hour at the time, Oklahoma County Sheriff Tommie Johnson told reporters on March 13.
The gate pierced the patrol car’s windshield and pinned the 11-year department veteran inside his patrol vehicle, resulting in “severe crushing injuries,” Sheriff Johnson said.
Among those injuries was a broken neck, The Oklahoman reported.
Deputy McCain “died three times that night,” according to the sheriff.
He was initially revived by bystanders and Edmond police officers who rushed in to help him in the immediate aftermath of the incident.
When he arrived at the hospital emergency room, doctors revived him again when they “opened him up and manually massaged his heart for 10 minutes,” Sheriff Johnson said.
Deputy McCain was brought back a third time during surgery that night.
He went through more than 60 units of blood during the night of the incident alone.
Sheriff Johnson said the collision is “no one’s fault,” The Oklahoman reported.
“There’s no negligence. It’s just an accident that we wish we never had to speak about,” he said. “But unfortunately, we’re here.”
Deputy McCain remained hospitalized in critical condition until his death on Monday.
The OCSO confirmed his tragic passing in a press release later that day.
“It’s with a heavy heart that we have to share with you that Deputy Jeremy McCain has passed after a valiant fight for his life,” the sheriff’s office said. “He was a school resource officer and a loving single dad with an amazing sense of humor. He will be greatly missed by his family and by all of us at the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office. Thank you for your continued prayers and kind words.”
Sheriff Johnson said the longtime deputy was a valuable member of the sheriff’s office and the community, and that he knew all of the students’ names at the school where he worked.
He had even given some of the children nicknames.
“This is someone who’s invested their life, invested their time in this community, in these kids, in this administration, the teachers and students, and you see it coming around full-fold because they support him just as much,” Sheriff Johnson said, according to The Oklahoman.
The single father leaves behind his seven-year-old autistic son, The Oklahoman reported.
A fundraising campaign for the fallen hero has raised more than $82,000 so far.
Squads with flashing lights lining Lincoln Ave outside of @OUHealth for
OSCO deputy Jeremy McCain @NEWS9 pic.twitter.com/Kpu3nzJRGp— Brittany Toolis (@brittany_toolis) March 16, 2023
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office, family, friends, and acquaintances of Deputy Jeremy McCain. pic.twitter.com/mQ4FmKnKvh
— Oklahoma City Fire (@OKCFD) March 20, 2023
HAPPENING NOW: Family members, friends, and fellow deputies have gathered for a vigil, in front of OU Medical Center. They’re doing this in honor of Deputy Jeremy McCain, who was injured Friday on the campus of Oklahoma Christian Schools in Edmond. @koconews pic.twitter.com/79qUCwj0dr
— Jason Burger KOCO (@KOCOJasonBurger) March 15, 2023
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Jeremy McCain, both blood and blue. Thank you for your service.
Rest easy, hero. We’ll hold the line from here.
