SARTELL, Minn. — A 12-year-old boy whose dream was to become a police officer was honored by the Sartell Police Department hours before he was taken off life support following a bike accident, the New York Post reported.
Raghav Shrestha, a seventh-grade student at Sartell-St. Stephen Middle School, was sworn in as an honorary officer on Oct. 9 at Hennepin County Medical Center, surrounded by his grieving family and local officers, according to the report.
“We learned today that Raghav’s dream was always to become a police officer when he grew up,” said Sartell Police Chief Brandon Silgjord in a statement posted to Facebook. “Several of us involved in the incident were able to visit Raghav this morning, and in the presence of his family pin him with his own badge and swear him in as an honorary police officer with Sartell.”
Raghav was riding his bicycle down a hill when he crashed and suffered a severe head injury, which led to cardiac arrest, according to the report. He had been wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.
A 10-year-old friend called 911 but struggled to communicate the exact location. A passerby who happened to be a CPR instructor stepped in to help, provided the location to emergency responders and began life-saving efforts until first responders arrived.
Raghav was airlifted to the Minneapolis hospital in critical condition. Despite the efforts of medical personnel, he was declared brain dead and was removed from life support. He died peacefully, police said.
Silgjord described Raghav as “a cheerful and fun-loving 12-year-old boy” who was “doing what so many 12-year-old boys would be doing on a beautiful fall afternoon, which makes this tragedy so difficult to comprehend.”
His family said Raghav was courageous, kind, and deeply compassionate, taking pride in his role as a big brother and living by a commitment to never harm others, people or animals alike.
“More than anything, [his parents] are proud to be Raghav’s parents and to have raised and known a boy that was always courageous in his word and actions,” Silgjord shared on their behalf.
In the wake of the tragedy, the Sartell community and police department launched a fundraiser to support the Shrestha family. As of Oct. 9, the relief effort had raised nearly $36,000.
