Deputy's split-second decision to sacrifice himself saves hundreds during high school homecoming
By Mike-Ross
Homecomings in high schools are always big events with hundreds of students, parents, and teachers excited about the festivities.
Similarly, this high school was excited about their homecoming event which turned deadly had it not been for this brave Macon County SRO.
Deputy Aaron Shipley serves as a Macon County SRO in Tennessee. He was doing his job, protecting a crowd at a high school for their homecoming, and expected it to be an average day.
However, it was going to turn out to be anything but ordinary. Even though barricades had been set up to make sure no one but participants of the parade were allowed on the street, one car slipped through.
Deputy Shipley was working traffic when he was alerted by his captain about a reckless driver who had slipped through the barricade and could cause an issue.
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“I was working traffic when Captain West called about a reckless driver and to get the school children off the road,” Shipley recalled.
There are videos of the event where 53-year-old James Corum is seen driving recklessly, speeding down the roads where children and parents are standing in order to watch the homecoming parade.
Instantly deputy Aaron Shipley realized what he needs to do. His own wife Lindsey, and two of their sons were in the crowd as well.
Deputy Shipley realized he had no other option but to stop the speeding driver himself. He got into his squad car and made a split-second decision, knowing he had no other choice. He did not even buckle his seatbelt just hit the gas and rammed head-first into the oncoming car.
His wife who was watching these events unfold from the sidelines recalls, “It was seconds later and bam he collided head-on with the other car.”
The impact of the collision did what Shipley intended; it stopped the reckless driver in his tracks and saved the crowds from a terrible accident. The driver was seriously injured and moved to a hospital for medical attention.
Investigators say his heroic actions likely saved dozens of lives in the crowd of hundreds of people.
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As for Shipley, he made it out of the accident completely fine. It is indeed a miracle that he suffered no injuries, Shipley says, “I didn’t protect myself. The Lord protected me.”
His community is hailing him as a hero for his actions which were truly self-sacrificing. His wife says her husband is too humble to accept the praise coming his way. Lindsey said, “He’ll tell you he was just doing his job.”
“That’s right, it was my job,” said Deputy Shipley added.
The reckless driver is expected to be charged formally. His motives for driving recklessly in a zone filled with children and parents are still unknown, as are what his intentions truly were.
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