A day to remember for Niagara police officers
The police chief called it an honour he won’t soon forget.
Niagara Regional Police Chief Bryan MacCulloch made to trip to Ottawa to witness Gov. Gen. Julie Payette present four of his constables — Dan Bassi, Jake Braun, Neal Ridley and Allan Rivet — with medals for bravery at Rideau Hall Thursday.
“I am proud of all the great work our officers do on a daily basis, but particularly these officers and how they handled themselves under the most challenging of situations,” said McCulloch, who was joined by the officer’s families.
“Having the chance to be present and witness them receive their medals was an honour as a fellow officer, and will definitely be a highlight of my time as chief.”
The medals recognize the officer’s actions in a hallway of a Fenwick apartment building on Oct. 10, 2015, as they attempted to help an armed, suicidal man. After appearing to surrender, the man drew a handgun from his waistband and fired seven shots at the officers.
Ridley was critically wounded. A gunshot passed through his shoulder and exited his neck. He was rushed to hospital in since resumed his duties on uniformed patrol.
His partner Braun was slightly wounded. Doctors treated and released him that night.
Bassi and Rivet returned fire and brought the suspect down.
“For what happened, and all that gunfire in a small corridor, the amazing thing is no one died,” Ridley said. “This could have been a completely different story for me. If the wound had been a millimetre to the left, I would have bled out. If it had been a millimetre to the right, I might have suffocated because of the damage to my esophagus.
“I know it sounds sensational when it is on television or in a movie. People think shootings happen just in Toronto or places like Detroit. This happened in our backyard. That tends to get lost in the translation.
“In this day and age, anything can and will happen. Officers have to go into these things situations and solve these problems. We need to support of our families and our employer. We also need the support of the public.”
Corey Richardson, 29, is charged with two counts of attempted murder using a firearm and single counts of pointing a firearm, possession of a prohibited weapon, careless storage of a firearm, careless storage of a restricted weapon, and possession of prohibited devices. The case is still before the courts.
Created in 1972, the Decorations for Bravery recognize people who risked their lives to try to save or protect the lives of others. bsawchuk@postmedia.com twitter. com/ Bill_ Standard