A 12-year-old boy from Minnesota, who aspired to be a police officer, was honored as an honorary police officer just before his family faced the heartbreaking decision to take him off life support.
Raghav Shrestha was presented with his own police badge and became an honorary member of the Sartell Police Department in a touching ceremony held at Hennepin County Medical Center on Thursday. This came after he suffered a life-threatening heart attack triggered by a bike accident just days earlier, as reported by police.
“Today we learned that Raghav always dreamed of becoming a police officer,” said Sartell Police Chief Brandon Silgjord in a statement shared on Facebook.
“Several officers involved were able to visit Raghav this morning, and it was an honor for us, along with his family, to swear him in and pin his badge on him. Our community will continue to stand by Raghav’s family during this difficult time.”
According to police, Raghav, a seventh-grader at Sartell-St. Stephen Middle School, was biking down a hill at Northside Park when he lost control and crashed. Despite wearing a helmet, he sustained serious head injuries that led to cardiac arrest.
His 10-year-old friend quickly dialed 911 but had trouble identifying their location until a passing Good Samaritan, who happened to be trained in CPR, confirmed the details to the operators and began administering life-saving aid to Raghav, as detailed by authorities.
Described as a lively and joyful child, Raghav was flown to a Minneapolis hospital in critical condition, but his health declined, and he was declared brain dead on Thursday morning.
He was taken off life support that afternoon and passed away “peacefully” shortly after.
“Raghav was a lively and cheerful 12-year-old boy, engaging in what many boys his age would do on a beautiful autumn day, making this tragedy even harder to accept,” said Silgjord, who kept the community informed about Raghav’s health.
“Despite their immense sorrow, Raghav’s parents want everyone to know how proud they are to have raised a courageous and kind-hearted son,” they said.
“He was committed to never causing harm to others, including animals, and took great pride in being a loving big brother.”
In response, the police department and the community have come together to initiate a fundraiser for Raghav’s grieving family.
As of Thursday evening, the fundraising efforts had amassed nearly $36,000.
