Officers, civilian honored for valor during April 13 shooting

Date: 6/13/2012

June 13, 2012

By Chris Maza

chrism@thereminder.com

CHICOPEE — In a ceremony that several people described as "ironic," members of the Chicopee Police Department and Massachusetts State Police, as well as political dignitaries gathered on June 5 to honor 12 officers and one civilian who responded to the April 13 West Street standoff, less than 24 hours after Springfield Police Officer Kevin Ambrose was murdered in another incident sparked by domestic violence.

"It's a very difficult day because of the tragedy that we suffered yesterday," Hampden County District Attorney Mark Mastroianni told Reminder Publications. "Today we are recognizing a common denominator of courage and bravery that were shared both by Officer Ambrose yesterday and the officers and troopers that were involved in the situation in Chicopee. That's a common denominator we share and we recognize and we are very grateful that no officers had to lose their life in the Chicopee incident."

Mastroianni, Chicopee Police Chief John Ferraro, Mayor Michael Bissonnette, State Police Superintendent Marian McGovern and Rep. Richard Neal were among the public officials who came to the Castle of Knights on Memorial Drive to honor the officers.

Massachusetts State Trooper John Vazquez, who was shot in the leg and hand by Carlos Gonzalez-Lauger and had shrapnel from his door in the other leg from the shootout as his cruiser approached the scene, was one of four officers to receive the Medal of Valor, the Chicopee Police Department's highest award.

"I'm counting the days now," Vazquez said when asked if he had any reservations about going back to work, explaining he had roughly six or seven more weeks of rehabilitation for his hand before doing so.

Trooper Kellar Williams and Chicopee police officers David Benoit and Johnny Jusino were the other three to receive the Medal of Valor for their efforts to protect Vazquez and remove him from danger.

"Initially I didn't think I did anything extraordinary. I was just doing my job in getting a fellow officer off the street that was injured," he said. "Obviously there was danger. We could hear the gunfire, but it was beyond that. There was an officer down and that's what we had to do."

Jusino's son, who recently joined the Chicopee Police Department, was present for the ceremony.

"I'm glad that he's here. He needs to see exactly what we do here," Jusino said.

Benoit said that he hoped that the recognition the officers received at the ceremony and the death of Ambrose would spark a better appreciation for what they do.

"People have to realize that every day we go out there, we're not there to harm them, we're there to help them," he said.

Addressing the parallels between the April 13 incident and the June 4 murder of Ambrose, Benoit said that domestic violence is a situation that needs to be addressed.

"What occurred yesterday was domestic violence and it ended very poorly for the city of Springfield through no fault of the officers," he said. "I believe the court system has to do a bit more with restraining orders in regards to people who violate them. They need to start making these people be held accountable for it and not just say, 'Don't do it again.'"

Trooper David Podworski, whom Vazquez credited with wounding Gonzalez-Lauger, who later committed suicide, as well as Chicopee Police Capt. Thomas Charette, Sgt. Roy Landry and officers Timothy Foley, Ryan Romano, Brian Lepage, Mark Page and Joseph Brunelle were given Meritorious Service Ribbons.

Ward Hamilton, a civilian who aided in the care of Vazquez despite the gunfire, received a special commendation.

Bissonnette praised all who were honored and reiterated the dangers associated with being a police officer.

"We only have to look to the events of yesterday to understand how fragile life is and how much different being a law enforcement professional is than any other job in America," he said.

Rep. Richard Neal expressed his relief that the April 13 incident did not result in the loss of life for any officer and related personal experiences that made the recent incidents hit home for him.

He recalled the moment he learned of the deaths of Springfield police officers Alain Beauregard and Michael Schiavina when he was Springfield's mayor in 1985 and the death of officer Raymond Moriarty.

"Raymond T. Moriarty was married to my mom and he was killed in the line of duty on the North End Bridge in 1946, less than a year after they had been married," he said. "I knew that lesson [of respect for the police] because of the regard in our home for what it was that the men and women in uniform do for us every day."

He went on to ask for the public to continue thinking of those killed in the line of duty after the initial shock and mourning.

"One of the problems is when it's over, the family goes home to the reality and we move on to the next challenge in our own lives," he said. "Those monuments in Washington and locally that have the names of those who have died in the line of duty need to have the proper regard from all of us due to the perilous nature of what is sometimes waiting on the other side of that door."