Trump awards highest honor for bravery to public safety officers
President Trump awards the Medal of Valor to select public safety officers
The president honors the best and bravest of America's public safety officers with the Medal of Valor.
President Trump awarded the Medal of Valor to 14 public safety officers on Wednesday; the medal is the nation’s highest honor for bravery by a public safety officer.
“Every officer, firefighter and first responder who receives this award embodies the highest ideals of service and sacrifice, character and courage,” Trump said during the White House ceremony.
Trump presented the award to a group of officers who responded to a shooting at a southern California polling place.
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Eight men from the Azusa, Calif., police department were honored for placing themselves in danger and saving the lives of civilians and fellow officers during the shooting on Election Day 2016.
When they arrived at the polling place, a person was shooting from a house across the street from a park. An elderly woman had been killed and a man lay wounded on a sidewalk. Two vehicles had collided and a woman in one of the cars was critically injured. The shooter was eventually killed and the officers were credited for preventing other deaths and injuries.
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The recipients from the Azusa, California police department were: Retired Lt. Xavier Torres; Sgt. Seth Chapman; retired Sgt. Terry Smith Jr.; Sgt. Thomas Avila III; Sgt. Rocky Wenrick; Cpl. Andrew Rodriguez Sr.; senior officer Carlos Plascencia; and detective Manuel Campos.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.