JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Three officers with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office received Medals of Valor during a Thursday ceremony, honoring their actions after a fellow officer was shot in March.
Police Sgt. Senad Ahmetovic, Police Officer Justin A. Cotton and Police Officer Kerry F. Redmond rushed to pull Officer Malik Daricaud to safety after he was critically injured in the line of duty while assisting a follow-up investigation for a traffic incident on March 26.
Body camera video from that morning shows the man the officer was trying to talk to opening fire when his mother opened the door. The shooter took his own life.
With two of the three heroic officers present in the ceremony, Sheriff T.K. Waters took the time to commend the officers for their life-saving actions.
“The actions of Police Officer Ahmetovic, Officer Redmond, and Officer Cotton demonstrated great personal courage in the face of extreme danger,” Waters said. “They did not hesitate to risk their own lives and their own safety to rescue a grievously injured, incapacitated fellow officer.”
With a round of applause, Ahmetovic and Cotton received their Medals of Valor.
Despite his severe injuries, Daricaud has made major strides in his recovery in the months since.