A mom from Alpine, Utah, made a desperate 911 call past 2 in the morning for an emergency – she needed baby formula for her hungry 6-week-old infant.
Shannon Bird, a mother of five, usually breastfeeds her children, so she had no baby formula lying around the house. Her husband was out of town for work at the time, and her four other kids – one of whom had a broken leg – were all sleeping.
“I’ve never not had food for my newborn. It was really scary for me,” she recalled.
At 2:12 am on January 28, Shannon phoned the police and asked for their help. In the 911 call recording obtained by KSL.com, she is heard telling the dispatcher about the emergency. She said that she had no way of feeding her baby.
“I’ve been calling neighbors, and no one will answer,” she told the operator. “I’ve never been in this predicament ever. My milk just literally dried out. This is my fifth kid, and this has never happened.”
Shannon couldn’t reach anyone in their area as it was already late, and it made the situation even worse.
“She was screaming,” Shannon said about her newborn that night. “I called my husband and we were brainstorming. I started calling neighbors and teenagers in the area and my little brother and no one was awake.”
Officers of the Lone Peak Police Department responded to her call and picked up a gallon of milk from a convenience store before driving to Shannon’s home. Once they arrived and saw the baby, they realized that she was too young for regular milk. They headed out to Walmart and bought some baby formula for the hungry infant.
In the body-camera footage, Officer Brett Wagstaff can be heard saying, “We’ll leave this with you. We’ll be right back with some formula for your baby — she’s adorable.”
Together with Officer Konner Gabbitas, Wagstaff returned with the baby formula. He told Shannon that it was the same milk that he and his wife gave their daughter when she was born.
“Hopefully it doesn’t upset her stomach,” the kind officer told the mom in despair. Shannon offered payment for milk, but they refused to accept it.
The news of the good deed went viral, and the Lone Peak Police Department recognized officers Wagstaff and Gabbitas on Facebook for their service.
“So very proud of our Officers and their dedication to duty,” the department wrote.
On the Facebook post, other parents who related to Shannon’s plight couldn’t help but express their admiration to the pair of officers who assisted a mom in need.
“The police could have laughed her off, reprimanded her for running out of milk, charged her for inappropriate use/abuse of emergency services – instead, they treated her like a human. I’ve been crying at 2 am, sleep deprived, and needing help as a new mom. Thank you to the people who have compassion.” Nicole Brooks commented.
“Poor mama. She was at the end of her rope. Don’t have kids, but I have needed help. Thank goodness for the kindness of those officers.” Isabella Mirabel wrote.
Shannon says she was shocked at how the officers responded to her “unique” emergency. She intended to go the store herself to get the milk and have the officers guard her children while she is out, but they did so much more. She couldn’t thank them enough for their help during that desperate time.
“Thank you for helping people in situations where they can’t help themselves in emergencies,” Shannon said.
To protect and serve the public are the primary motivations for joining the police force. To these officers, no emergency was too small. As long as someone needed their help, they will be there to respond!