Mall Security Guard Saves Child’s Life

A Fort Henry Mall security guard is being hailed as a hero. J.J. Williams was working his usual shift on March 9th, when he got a call from a merchant that a child was having difficulty breathing outside their store. Williams got to the child and carried her outside, that’s when she stopped breathing altogether.

Williams is a former firefighter, and has worked in public safety for 9 years. He put that training to good use when he performed CPR on the two year old girl. After a mouth sweep and two small breaths, the girl came back to life. “She started crying,“ says Williams, “and kind of talking to me a little bit.“ Williams says the girl played with his badge, and that kept her distracted from all that was going on until the paramedics arrived.

For his heroism, the American Red Cross gave Williams a Certificate of Extraordinary Personal Action on Monday. Susan Oliver of the American Red Cross says it’s hard to think what would’ve happened if Williams hadn’t been there. “The outcome of this situation could have been much more tragic,“ says Oliver. Williams says he’s proud he was able to save the girl’s life, but he doesn’t consider himself a hero. “I don’t like to be called a hero,“ says Williams, “I was just doing my job.“ The fact that a young child is alive today means that Williams truly is a hero, whether he wants the title or not.