Officer James Hurst is still a rookie on the police force, but he has already shown the world that he has lots of heart.

Hurst and some of his fellow officers were called to a neighborhood in the Cuyler-Brownsville neighborhood of Savannah, Georgia to respond to reports of a 16 month-old toddler wandering around alone. Residents were worried about the child’s safety, as they had no idea how long he’d been wandering.

As a father of two, one of whom has Down’s Syndrome, Hurst hated the thought of a little toddler running around alone, so he immediately took action. After picking the child up at 10am, Hurst rushed the boy to the emergency room, where the toddler quickly became distraught. Hurst’s heart broke for the boy and he wanted to do whatever he could to help.

“The boy, obviously, being so small, became very upset,” he recalled. “He was crying. He was sobbing. I asked the hospital staff if I can hold him to comfort him and soothe him a little bit to try to calm him down, to continue getting medical care, and they said that was fine. So I picked him up. Minutes later, I was standing and he was asleep on my chest, and with all my body armor and my gun belt, became very heavy holding this small child. So that’s when I decided to sit down on the bed and make it easier for him and me.”

That’s when this photo was snapped, and it quickly went viral.

Hurst was able to soothe the toddler, who soon fell asleep on his shoulder. The toddler was found to be perfectly healthy and is now safe in the custody of the Georgia Department of Family & Children’s Services.

Though millions see Hurst as a hero, he says he was just doing his job.

“It’s what we do, every single day; not just me, but the 600 officers that are on this department,” he concluded. “This job is so much more than just chasing the bad guys. It is about serving the citizens of the communities you work in and doing what they need you to do.”

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