Neighbor: Off-duty Brunswick cop who saved woman being stabbed is hero

BRUNSWICK, Ga. — “When we came out, she was on the ground at the back of the van and to see her face, that’s all I see, her face – like she’s saying, ‘Help me,'” Sandra Cohen said.

Cohen still can’t believe the chaos Monday. There were officers, pools of blood and evidence markers surrounding her home.

It all started when she and Erica Williams, who she considers a daughter, were inside laughing and watching a woman get her hair done.

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Williams took a phone call, then went outside.

“My 8-year-old grandson came in and said, 'Mama, it’s somebody out there stabbing Auntie Erica in the neck,'” Cohen said.

Cohen said she jumped up and immediately ran next door to the apartment where Aldrid Spaulding III lives. Spaulding is a Brunswick Police officer.

He was off duty at the time, but came out and tried to diffuse the situation. Ultimately, Spaulding shot David Bell so he could save Williams, investigators said.

“He looked like he was – he hadn’t had any sleep for days. He just looked like – you could actually see the devil in him. Like, he was really trying to kill her,” Cohen said when describing the suspect.

Bell died from his injuries at the hospital. Cohen said Officer Spaulding is a young man who recently joined the force. She said both he and her grandson are heroes for coming to the rescue.

“It’s by the grace of God that she’s still here, and we thank God for that. We really do,” Cohen said.

Williams is recovering from her injuries and was released from the hospital Tuesday. The Brunswick Police Department requested the Georgia Bureau of Investigation take over the case.

Cox Media Group