Statement from the official about the incident”I never imagined that after all we’ve trained, after so many years of serving honor, I’d end up giving explanations for something as absurd as this. But that’s the world today: social media records one second and forgets the context. And suddenly, an act of help turns into a viral scandal. 

That day we were patrolling the northern area, as usual. I was going with officer Torres, a brave, dedicated colleague and with whom I have worked shoulder to shoulder for three years. Suddenly, a call alerted us to a disturbance near an abandoned location. Wasted no time we turned up. Upon arrival, an armed subject ran out to see us, and without a word shot at us. One of the projectiles hit Torres.

The shot was direct, brutal, and hit him right in the upper thigh, very close to the groin. It fell to the ground right away. I, without thinking, ran beside her and watched her bleed. We didn’t know if the bullet had lodged or if he had left, but he was in shock, and his body was shaking. I tried to keep her conscious while she radioed for backups. She screamed, she twisted… and yes, I admit it, their moans were confusing. Whoever listens to the audio without seeing what really happened can think anything.

But that was pain, not pleasure. That was the body reacting to trauma, not desire.

I had to stick my hand—yes, my bare hand, because I couldn’t waste time with the gloves—between his bloody leg to check if the bullet was still there. Trying to apply pressure stop the bleeding. In those moments, the only thing that matters is to save the life of the other, not how it looks from the outside, not what a curious person with a cellphone in hand thinks.

But of course… someone recorded it. Just a few seconds. Just when she screamed louder and I had my hand in the tightest area. The image was shared, the video went viral. And the comments didn’t take long to come: whether he was touching it, whether she enjoyed it, whether it was an adult movie scene in the middle of the street.

And the truth? Truth is I managed to stop the bleeding before the paramedics arrived. That thanks to that quick intervention, Torres is still alive. Who, although he had to undergo surgery, is able to walk today. He thanked me through tears because, according to doctors, he had lost too much blood and every second counted.

Ironically, no one recorded that moment. Nobody uploaded the video when the ambulance arrived. No one shared the image of how I carried her body onto the stretcher, with my uniform drenched in her blood. Just the moment they misunderstood. Just that.

Now facing an internal investigation. I understand that’s the protocol. But what hurts is the public judgment, the memes, the yellowish headlines, the ridicule. As if seeing my partner on the brink of death wasn’t enough, now I have to endure being told that I was “touching” her when I was only trying to save her life.

Sometimes, in this profession, what hurts the most isn’t the bullets… but the lies.