Officer Lauren Riddle
Englewood Police Officer Lauren Riddle has a heart for service. She did before and does after a shooting that changed her life. It started with a frantic 911 call from a woman locked in her bathroom as her boyfriend threatened her family with a gun.
Sudden shootout
When Officer Riddle and her partner arrived at the scene the suspect had already run away. They went to the nearby Englewood light rail station to search and found him in the parking garage. They immediately saw the man had a gun and ordered him to raise his hands, but he started shooting. Officer Riddle and her partner fired back, wounding the suspect who later died. Officer Riddle was hit below her vest and the bullet pierced her stomach and went out her lower back, missing her spine by one inch. She called the shooting into dispatch, was helped into the backseat of a patrol car, and her partner raced them towards HCA HealthONE Swedish.
Friendly faces
Officer Riddle was picking up extra shifts working security in the HCA HealthONE Swedish Emergency Room at the time. Under the flashing lights and blaring sirens, Officer Riddle focused on staying conscious. Her thoughts went to the hospital staff that was just alerted they were on the way, “These people are very, very capable. I've seen them do amazing things many times. But I had a connection to them, and I knew seeing me like that was going to be hard for them.” Relief poured over her as they pulled into the ambulance bay. The longest ride of Officer Riddle’s life had actually been less than two minutes. Now she was safe and could let the HCA HealthONE Swedish Level 1 Trauma team take over.
Level 1 response
Officer Riddle’s partner and a firefighter from an ambulance parked at the ER helped carry her through the doors. She was trying to breathe through the pain but suddenly felt like she couldn’t breathe at all. She remembers the look on everyone's face when her vitals crashed — it happened so fast. The team ordered a transfusion because she was losing so much blood and prepared for emergency surgery. Officer Riddle says the last thing she remembers is asking to call her mom as the anesthesiologist was bringing the mask down to put her under.
Recovery & relief
When she came to, there was an Englewood officer standing guard at her door. One would stay with her until she was discharged. Again, her thoughts went to others not herself: she made sure her partner and the family that called 911 were okay. She considers it a tragedy the man who shot her died, “Nobody wants to be shot at or shoot at someone. Unfortunately, the suspect didn’t live but I did and I have to count that as a blessing.”
Her phone was filled with messages from concerned family and friends, especially because it was in the middle of pandemic visitation restrictions. She reassured them she was in good hands, "The whole trauma unit, the ER, the ICU staff — it was wonderful. From the cleaning staff to security checking on me to the doctors, I just appreciate everybody.” After three days in the ICU and another five on the trauma recovery floor, Officer Riddle was released to fanfare from her medical team and fellow officers.
A new chapter
She quickly went back to work and even picked up shifts at Swedish, reconnecting with the staff that saved her life just weeks before. After several months and another surgery, the long-term impact of her injury came into focus: Officer Riddle couldn’t wear her duty belt for extended periods, so she changed roles within the Englewood Police Department. She’s now an investigator within the Professional Standards division and serves as a public information officer — making sure her department is serving our community at the highest levels.
She’s also an advocate for fellow trauma survivors and speaks about the need for mental health support for patients and caregivers, “There's a stigma about mental health and being in a position where you deal with so much. It’s not just first responders, many professions see trauma we don't recognize. It's very important for us to realize when it's affecting us and to get the help we need.”
Explore HCA HealthONE Swedish's Level 1 Trauma Center and resources for patients.