‘He wouldn’t be here:’ Corporal killed in West Caln traffic stop credited with saving local man’s life

Corporal killed during traffic stop credited with saving local man’s life

After he was shot and killed during a traffic stop on Sunday night, Corporal Timothy O’Connor is being remembered as a hero for saving a local man’s life during a heart attack about one year ago.

WEST CALN TOWNSHIP, Pa. - Corporal Timothy O’Connor, a 15-year veteran of the Pennsylvania State Police, is being honored as a hero after he was shot and killed during a traffic stop in West Caln Township on Sunday night.

Community remembers Corporal O’Connor’s life and service

What we know:

State police say O’Connor was killed just before 8:30 p.m. near Route 10 and Michael Road during a traffic stop. 

According to investigators, 32-year-old Jesse Nathan Elks fired at O’Connor as he approached the driver’s side, then walked a short distance and turned the gun on himself.

O’Connor was a husband and father to a young daughter, and had served with the state police for 15 years. 

He was also a member of the West Chester Fire Department since 2003, and the department said he served his community with courage, commitment and compassion.

A memorial has grown on the SUV once driven by O’Connor at Troop J in West Bradford, where family members and community members have gathered to pay their respects.

A year ago, O’Connor saved a local man’s life

What they're saying:

David Lee said, "I really never did get to shake his hand, to thank him for what he had done for me." 

Lee credits O’Connor with saving his life one year ago when he had a heart attack and pulled into Troop J for help and saw O’Connor and his partner walking into the building. He tried to drive himself to the hospital for what he thought was a COPD flare-up, but realized he was not going to make it.

Lee said, "I blew the horn, they came over and said, ‘We’re not waiting for the ambulance, hop in, we’re going’... He made sure that they got me back in the room, started working on me, here I am today, but he’s not with us today."

Lee’s daughter, Erica Armstrong, said, "He wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Corporal O’Connor." She added, "To his little girl, I just want you to know your daddy saved my daddy and we thank you for that and you’ll forever be a part of our family, if you ever need anything we’re right down the road."

Jessica Hernandez, who cut O’Connor’s hair for more than a decade, said, "All I said to myself, because I knew his territory, was I hope it wasn’t him and I was going to send him a message just to make sure he was OK...once you got to know him you can see what kind of a great person he was and always talked very highly of his family and his daughter and his wife."

State police lined the barracks with American flags in O’Connor’s honor.

Support for O’Connor’s family

State police helped start an online fundraiser to support O’Connor’s family, and donations have already started to come in.

O’Connor’s legacy is being remembered by those whose lives he touched, including the family he saved and the community he served for more than a decade.

What we don't know:

The motive for the shooting is still unclear, according to state police.