WWW.NJCOPSMAGAZINE.COM ■ DECEMBER 2014
2014
Valor
awards
51
2014 Valor Awards – Bronze Medal of Valor
Communication breakdown
Radio silence at the worst possible time
It’s Jan. 4, 2014 at around 3 a.m. – perhaps the
coldest night of the year. At the desolate end of
Police Officer John Kelly
a dead-end street, the silence was deafening,
Paterson Local 1
and Paterson Local 1 Officer John Kelly was on
a manhunt.
It had been broadcast that the shotgunknowing where you
wielding, lone perpetrator of a home invasion was being tracked by
are. It’s that total
the victims through their stolen iPad, leading Kelly to a suspect sitmoment that you fear
ting in a parked minivan.
– being mano a mano
“Here is this guy, and he just fit every description they gave of the
– that you hope doessuspect,” Kelly recalled as he ordered the man out of the vehicle. The
n’t happen. And then
individual was tense with a startled gaze. When ordered to turn
it happens.”
around and place his hands on the vehicle, the suspect complied.
Kelly attempted to handcuff the suspect, but he pushed back,
Kelly radioed his location but was unsure anyone heard as the low
causing the officer to drop his handcuffs. The suspect then turned
battery indicator was flashing.
and started to reach into his waistband.
At this time, the suspect turned toward the officer, removing his
“When he was re aching in toward his waist, I didn’t know if he
hand from the vehicle. Kelly again commanded him to place his
was going for a gun,” Kelly admitted. “There was no ‘my-lifehands back on the vehicle, and the suspect did so but continued
flashed-before-me’ moment; there was just ‘I gotta do this and I
moving more toward the rear of the minivan.
gotta do it quick.’”
“He wasn’t responding to commands and kept moving quickly,”
Fearing for his life, Kelly drew his weapon, fired one round and
Kelly described. “We were six feet apart and he was supposedly
ended the threat.
armed with a shotgun.”
“I’ve been on numerous gun jobs and apprehensions of people
Kelly tried again to radio for backup, but to no avail.
armed,” Kelly noted. “This is just that one where you think ‘wow.’”
“The window to my patrol car was open, so I could hear the radio
“It’s nice to be recognized,” Kelly continued. “You hate that it
with everyone going ‘Where is he? Where is he?’ And normally you’re
happened that way – you don’t want to take anybody’s life, and
in a job like that, and you can hear police sirens coming from a block
you’re sad that happened. But I’m appreciative to everyone from
away,” Kelly explained. “It was definitely the worst feeling I’ve had in
my department who stood by me, and it’s nice to be recognized by
the 12 years that I’ve been a cop, with your battery dying and nobody
your fellow officers.”
Forcing their hands
Pleasantville officers have to make tough decision
There is a certain tragedy
Police Officer Miracle Mays
on the flipside of every valor
Sergeant Christopher Leeds
award for an officer-involved
shooting. Such was the case
Sergeant Christopher Taggart
on April 22, 2013, when four
Sergeant Herbert Simons
Mainland Local 77 officers
Mainland Local 77
were put in a position to
(Pleasantville)
make the decision to end
one life to protect others,
including their own.
At approximately 4:20 p.m., the Pleasantville Police received a 91-1 call about a man with a knife threatening to harm himself and
others. Officer Miracle Mays was first on the scene and found a man
in the street holding a large butcher knife. Mays drew his weapon
and ordered the man to drop the knife. The man continued to hold
the knife and yelled back at Mays, “Just kill me, just kill me.” Mays
repeated commands to drop the knife, but the man ignored him,
repeating, “No, you’re going to have to kill me.”
“It seemed like he was waiting for us,” Mays recalled. “I said, ‘We’re
just trying to talk to you,’ but he just didn’t want to talk.
Shortly thereafter, Sergeants Christopher Leeds, Christopher Taggart and Herbert Simons joined Mays at the scene and formed a
skirmish line. For seven-to-10 minutes, the man continued to antagonize the officers by stomping his feet, mock charging and moving
the knife from hand to hand.
“After 10 minutes, we emptied a large OC canister – the size of a
fire extinguisher – but the wind was blowing to the suspect’s back so
the spray wasn’t working,” Leeds described. “Finally, he built up his
nerve and charged Officer Mays.”
Taggart, Leeds and Mays fired their weapons, ending the man’s
life.
“He crossed the line. He got within six feet with his eyes locked on
me and he charged me. He was coming for my throat. I was definitely in danger,” emphasized Mays, a veteran of the Air National
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