'We held his hand throughout': army captain's powerful account of battle to save fatally stabbed PC Keith Palmer

Tom Powell24 March 2017

An army captain who rushed to save stabbed PC Keith Palmer has revealed he “held his hand” and talked to him throughout as he died outside Parliament.

Captain Mike Crofts was one of the first people to respond to the attack in Westminster, seconds after knifeman Khalid Masood was shot dead.

In a moving interview with BBC Breakfast this morning, he ran through the dramatic moments in which he battled in vain to save the police officer’s life.

He said: “We responded initially to the gunshots by taking cover. We then realised that there were two injured men lying on the floor and I saw that there were just a couple of policeman around so rushed towards the scene.”

Poignant: This is thought to be the last picture taken of PC Keith Palmer before he was killed

Captain Crofts did not realise at the time but another passer-by who helped deliver first aid was Former Staff Sgt Tony Davis, who was his instructor at Sandhurst nine years ago.

“Unfortunately, despite our best efforts we were unable to save him,” said Captain Crofts. “PC Palmer at the time was surrounded by a whole host of colleagues who really loved him. We held his hand through the experience. We talked to him throughout.”

PC Keith Palmer
Metropolitan Police

Holding back the tears, the former Afghanistan soldier denied that he was a "hero" for his actions, instead praising the “fantastic” teamwork amid the carnage.

He said: “There were a huge number of people who came over. Initially, there were three or four people trying to help Keith on the floor, and then I was aware a minute or two later a number more police officers came and a civilian who I later realised was an MP. The team response from everyone there was fantastic.”

Attack at Parliament, March 22, 2017

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“I think I’ve been in a bit of a state of shock for a couple of days. I think at the heart of it though it’s just deeply, deeply sad that a very angry and troubled person has decided to take other peoples’ lives and that’s really what’s behind this. A huge sense of anger, probably isolation.”

Captain Crofts added that his quick response was something that “anyone in the army would have done”. He added: “We are trained to help”.

On Thursday tributes poured in to PC Palmer, with the Police Federation saying they have been left “numb” by the killing.

A fundraising campaign set up after his tragic death raising money for Mr Palmer’s family raised over a £300,000 in less than one day.

PC Palmer had served in the Metropolitan Police for 15 years but died at the scene after paramedics fought to save his life.

Before stabbing PC Palmer, Masood had driven over Westminster Bridge, ploughing his Hyundai Tucson into scores of pedestrians.

Three people - American Kurt Cochran, Spaniard Aysha Frade and Streatham resident Leslie Rhodes - were killed and up to 40 others were injured.

Three police officers were also hurt, two of them seriously.

Crowds of Londoners gathered at a vigil in Trafalgar Square on Thursday to pay tribute to those killed and injured in the Parliament attack.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, invited both residents and tourists to join a candlelit memorial at the central London landmark in solidarity with victims.

The sombre gathering marked one day since London was targeted in a bloody assault.

Mr Khan had encouraged “everyone visiting our city” to join together in memory of those who lost their lives and “to show the world that we are more committed than ever to the values that we hold dear - that we remain united and open”.

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