Dallas officer saves boy's life at State Fair of Texas

A Dallas police officer is being called a hero for saving a two-year-old boy’s life Sunday at the State Fair of Texas.

According to the Dallas Police Department, the child was with his mother and two siblings when he suddenly stopped breathing.

Senior Cpl. Matt Gnagi was stationed near a gate in the parking lot when he heard the mother’s frantic screams. He rushed to help.

“She's holding the child in her arms -- we laid the child on the ground and started seeing that he's in distress and I started breathing for him,” Gnagi said. “I don’t know how long it took but it took some breaths to get him back to where he could survive on his own.”

Gnagi said it was the first time in his 33-year career that he’s had to perform CPR on a child.

Police said the boy was recovering at a local hospital on Monday and Gnagi was able to visit him Monday morning.

“I wanted to see him healthy again. It wasn't an easy night for me, to know if he was going to survive or not, what his condition was going to be, so getting that closure -- and the department allowed me to go over there and see him -- it was nice,” Gnagi said.

Gnagi added that this year was the first time he’s ever worked the State Fair of Texas.

“Senior Cpl. Gnagi's actions saved the child's life and are representative of the commitment Dallas police officers have to the public. The Dallas Police Department and the State Fair of Texas are very proud of Senior Cpl. Matt Gnagi,” DPD said in a press release.