SOUTHMAYD, Texas — Southmayd Police Officer Scott Barrett used back blows to clear a choking toddler's airway after an early-morning emergency call Tuesday, July 21, according to a local report and police body-camera footage published by KXII.
Watch the police body-camera footage
KXII's 41-second video report includes the Southmayd Police body-camera view from the response. ThinBlueNews is embedding the publisher-hosted video near the top because the footage is central to documenting the officer's actions; it has not been re-uploaded to ThinBlueNews.
Video source: Southmayd Police body-camera footage published in KXII's July 22 report. Use the linked publisher page if the embedded player does not load. The footage involves a medical emergency concerning a young child; viewer discretion is advised.
Emergency call came shortly before 1 a.m.
KXII reported that the call sent Barrett to a Southmayd home shortly before 1 a.m. Tuesday. A mother approached the officer carrying her 23-month-old child, who was reportedly choking and not breathing.
Barrett took the toddler and began delivering back blows in an effort to dislodge the obstruction. The child then began crying and breathing again, according to the report.
An ambulance transported the toddler to Texoma Medical Center for evaluation. KXII reported that the child returned home a few hours later.
Rapid action during a child's medical emergency
The response unfolded within seconds of Barrett's arrival. The available public report does not identify what caused the choking episode, and ThinBlueNews is not speculating about the obstruction or publishing the child's name, address or additional medical detail.
The case is a reminder that patrol officers and other first responders may arrive before an ambulance during a time-critical medical emergency. Here, Barrett's immediate focus was the child's airway until emergency medical personnel could take over.
Readers can find more verified public-safety work in ThinBlueNews' police rescue news, bodycam rescue videos, police hero stories and first responder news coverage.
Source, video and visual attribution
- KXII: “WATCH: North Texas police officer saves life of choking toddler,” published July 22, 2026. The local report identifies Barrett, gives the approximate response time, describes the back blows and restored breathing, reports the hospital evaluation and return home, and publishes the 41-second video containing Southmayd Police body-camera footage embedded above.
Featured-image note: The image is a true frame from the Southmayd Police body-camera footage published by KXII. ThinBlueNews blurred the child and accompanying adult for privacy, cropped the frame to its standard 1200-by-630 article format, and added a factual headline and source line. No person or incident scene was generated or substituted.
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