A Memphis police officer is receiving praise from the public after convincing a suicidal teenage father not to jump from the I-40 Mississippi River Bridge earlier this month. According to a statement from the Memphis Police Department posted on Facebook, officers received a call about a suicidal person on the edge of the bridge and quickly responded to discover the flustered 17-year-old.

The statement reads, “Officer Shaw made [it to] the scene moments later and began building a rapport with the individual as he stood on the outside ledge of the bridge contemplating suicide. While the officers were talking to him, they found out that this individual was only 17 years old.”

The MPD statement adds, “He explained how he is a new father and how life is stressful. Being a mother, Officer Shaw talked to him and understood his stress. Officer Shaw spoke to him for nearly 15 minutes and convinced him to hold on to her while she helped him to safety.”

One piece of advice that Officer Shaw gave the teen dad was, “things will get better.” The teen’s rescue happened the day before Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland announced that the Department of Justice would review the MPD after the death of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols. Nichols, a black man, died days after five MPD officers beat him during a January traffic stop. Mayor Strickland said, “While we no doubt have a long way to go on the road to healing, hopefully, through our actions, citizens will see we are working toward a better future and heading down the right path.”

The photo of Officer Shaw hugging the teen has gone viral with thousands of reactions and shares. One comment said, “I’m so glad we see these positive stories for our officers. What a great job done by Officer Shaw! Not all are bad; keep sharing the good too!”

Another comment read, “Awesome, Officer Shaw, it’s situations like that make me so proud to be a retired MPD Officer. In life, you have your good and bad in everything, but I choose to believe that there are more good people than bad. Officer Shaw, may you continue to shine, and to my MPD co-workers, keep your heads up and be honorable and fair. May God bless and protect each and every one of you. My family in Blue also remember this: always exemplify your integrity.”

Numerous comments also offered help to the teenage father. Suicide, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the second-leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 24 in the U.S. Some 20 percent of high school students report severe thoughts of suicide. Nine percent have attempted to take their lives, data show.

Dr. Carl Fleisher, who specializes in adolescent and child psychiatry at UCLA Health, explained that teenagers are more vulnerable to suicide because of factors like where they stand developmentally.

“Teenagers and young adults have the highest rates of suicide compared to other ages,” he said. “The things that make them vulnerable are where they stand socially and where they stand developmentally. They’re not going to weigh risks and consequences or values in quite the same way that older folks will.”