Vancouver City Council honors pair who helped officer

“I called it a God shot; I was able to be at the right place at the right time,” Bridger said. “I know I didn’t sleep at all that night. I was praying really hard for him and his family.”

Bridger visited Goudschaal while he was hospitalized at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center. Although Anderson hasn’t had a chance to visit Goudschaal since the shooting, she said she hopes to see how he’s doing.

At Monday’s ceremony, Anderson and Bridger were given a Pendleton Woolen Mills blanket. Police officers, city officials and community members gave hugs and handshakes to the pair during the council meeting’s intermission.

“To me it wasn’t anything extraordinary. It was just something that needed to be done,” Anderson said. “What else do you do if you’re there? You have to act.”

Having raised a daughter who’s ended up in the emergency room before, Anderson said with a laugh that she’s learned not to panic in the midst of an emergency.

During the recognition, a friend read a statement from Goudschaal and his wife, Kate: “I choose to believe, that for whatever reason, those two good Samaritans were meant to be there in that moment to help Dustin, and for this, we are eternally grateful. … This incident is a sobering reminder of just how much the brave men (and) women of our law enforcement community sacrifice to keep our community safe and preserve the wellbeing of our friends, neighbors and loved ones.”