Seven current or now-retired members of the Azusa Police Department and an Irwindale Police Department officer were awarded the Public Safety Medal of Valor Wednesday by President Donald Trump and U.S. Attorney General William Barr for actions during a deadly shooting in Azusa in November 2016.
Retired Lt. Xavier Torres, Sgts. Seth Chapman, Terry Smith Jr. and Rocky Wenrick, retired Sgt. Thomas Avila III, retired Cpl. Andrew Rodriguez Jr. and Senior Officer Carlos Plascencia, all of the Azusa Police Department, and Detective Manuel Campos of the Irwindale Police Department were among 14 law enforcement officers who received medals at a White House ceremony.
Two recipients were honored posthumously, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The Medal of Valor is awarded by the president to public safety officers nominated by the directors of their agencies and then recommended by a review board.
“The work that first responders do every day is heroic and each one of them deserves our gratitude,” Barr said.
The Southland officers were honored for risking their lives to protect others during a shooting on Election Day — Nov. 8, 2016 — that left one innocent civilian dead and two other people critically wounded.
The suspect, 45-year-old Carlos Mendez of Azusa, was shot dead by police.
Officers responded to reports of a shooting around 2 p.m. that day in the 500 block of West Fourth Street.
According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Mendez was on a cocaine binge when he stepped outside his home and began shooting at cars. Mendez shot a woman driving a van, which later crashed, before he walked up to his 77-year-old neighbor, Francis Varney, and fatally wounded him.
After shooting Varney, Mendez shot a woman down the street.
One woman suffered a gunshot wound to the face and the other to the body, according to the sheriff’s department.
Responding officers were fired on by Mendez as they helped the wounded victims. The officers returned fire, killing Mendez.
No officers were wounded in the exchange of gunfire.
“These officers responded to a call of a crazed man firing at citizens near a voting site on November 8th, 2016,” Trump said. “When they arrived, Carlos and Xavier raced through a hail of bullets to save a woman who had been shot in the head. At the same time, Terry, Andrew and Seth returned fire. Tommy, Rocky and Manuel drew the gunman out of his house, enabling their fellow officers to shoot him and bring the rampage to an end.”
He told the awardees that they “represent the unity, devotion, teamwork, and swift action that makes America’s law enforcement the best and bravest anywhere in the world. Well done. And I want to thank you all for being here.”