Medal Recipient Search
Daryl A. Hall, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department
2011 Class
Awarded on: 10/11/2012
Medal of Valor
On April 24, 2011, Officer Hall was off-duty in a downtown St. Louis nightclub when he heard gunshots being fired outside. Hall ran outside to investigate and witnessed a gunman firing shots into the air near a group of people. Hall identified himself as a police officer and ordered the gunman to drop his weapon. The gunman then began firing at Hall, who returned fire, striking the gunman several times and killing him. Tragically, Hall was also shot and killed. Although off-duty and without time to call for help, Officer Hall, responded bravely and without hesitation to protect innocent bystanders.
James C. Cooksey Jr., Missouri State Highway Patrol
2011 Class
Awarded on: 10/11/2012
Medal of Valor
On June 21, 2011, Trooper Cooksey responded when a sport utility vehicle ran off Route P into a flooded drainage ditch in New Madrid County. The SUV, submerged up to the luggage rack, was rapidly being swept downstream in St. John’s Bayou. Cooksey joined two civilians attempting to reach the driver and free her from the vehicle. The swiftly moving water was murky, and submerged and floating debris posed additional hazards. Cooksey assisted the civilians in getting the victim out of the vehicle and then swam, pulling her toward the bank. Cooksey and another trooper performed CPR until an ambulance arrived. Unfortunately, despite the heroic efforts of Cooksey and the other men in the dangerous conditions, the victim did not survive.
Robert C. Siscel, Sunset Hills Police Department
2011 Class
Awarded on: 10/11/2012
Medal of Valor
On Oct. 26, 2011, Detective Sgt. Siscel and Patrolman Dan Thompson responded to a 911 call about a home invasion/robbery then in progress. Siscel responded to the rear of the house, where he immediately identified a masked gunman holding an elderly woman hostage. Siscel alerted Thompson and, through the kitchen window, Thompson commanded the gunman to release the victim. The gunman released the woman but moved toward the family room. Siscel ran into the family room through the broken out glass sliding door as he identified himself as a police officer. The gunman entered the doorway between the kitchen and family room aiming his pistol at Siscel from a distance of 10 feet. Siscel ordered him to drop the gun. When he did not, Siscel had no alternative but to use deadly force; he fired a single shot, incapacitating the gunman, who was taken into custody. Soon after, other responding officers arrested a second gunman outside the residence.
Curtis B. Bohanan II, Jefferson City Police Department, and Christopher J. Suchanek, Cole County Sheriff
2011 Class
Awarded on: 10/11/2012
Medal of Valor
On Dec. 10, 2011, a high-speed pursuit of a man suspected of murdering two people in Dent County moved toward Jefferson City on Highway 50/63. Officer Bohanan positioned his patrol car as the second pursuit vehicle. As the pursuit continued in Jefferson City, spike strips were deployed and the suspect’s vehicle struck the strips. Eventually, the suspect was forced to pull over and he entered the Capitol Plaza Hotel parking lot. Bohanan followed the suspect into the hotel lobby, where the suspect fired toward him. Bohanan was forced to return fire.
Mathew R. Crosby and Jorden G. Lewis, Rock Hill Police Department
2010 Class
Awarded on: 11/02/2011
Medal of Valor
On April 8, 2010, Patrolman Crosby and Lt. Lewis responded to a violent domestic dispute in an apartment complex. While trying to make contact with the suspect, a man appeared at the top of a stairway blocking the officers in the narrow stairwell below. The man raised a gun and fired two shots at the officers. The first shot grazed Crosby in the head and the second shot entered his shoulder. The bullet lodged in his spine, paralyzing him from the waist down. Despite his injuries, Crosby returned fire, as did Lewis. Both officers' shots struck the gunman, causing him to fall from the stairway onto Crosby. Despite his wounds, the gunman continued to struggle with Lewis, attempted to retrieve his pistol and threatened, "I'm going to kill you all."
Donald L. Doza, Missouri State Highway Patrol
2010 Class
Awarded on: 11/02/2011
Medal of Valor
On April 28, 2010, Trooper Doza responded to an injury accident on Interstate 70 in Cooper County. A van with a camper attached had crashed into a guardrail, causing extreme damage to the vehicle; smoke from the camper was filling the van. Two medics and a firefighter were on the scene but fire trucks were stuck in traffic. The driver was unconscious inside the van. The van doors would not open, so Doza broke the driver's window with his baton. Doza tried to pull the driver out through the window, but the driver's legs were wedged underneath the steering wheel. Doza called for assistance but none was forthcoming. Propane tanks inside the camper began exploding, fueling the fire. Doza broke the front windshield, but the smoke and flames made it impossible to get to the victim from this direction. He returned to the driver's window and was now joined by a firefighter. As gasoline flowed around their feet, the firefighter pulled the victim's arms and Doza now managed to free his legs. The victim was pulled from the van moments before the camper exploded. The 80-year-old victim continues to recover.
Joseph R. Haman, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department
2010 Class
Awarded on: 11/02/2011
Medal of Valor
On May 27, 2010, Officer Haman stopped a suspicious vehicle in north St. Louis. While the officer was conducting an investigation of the vehicle's occupants, a passenger in the rear seat opened fire. The gunman fired from point-blank range, hitting the officer six to eight times. Despite being critically wounded, Haman was able to dive for cover and return fire, striking the suspect vehicle and causing the gunman to retreat. Despite his life-threatening injuries, Haman remained composed and focused as he radioed for help. Haman, a former U.S. Marine who served in Iraq, provided responding officers with a description of the gunman and detailed information so that a search could begin. St. Louis police were able to locate and arrest the suspected gunman the same day. Police credit Officer Haman's ballistic vest with saving his life.
Steven M. Landsness, O’Fallon Police Department
2010 Class
Awarded on: 11/02/2011
Medal of Valor
On Oct. 23, 2010, Sgt. Landsness was off duty and walking along a trail near the Missouri River in Sunset Park in Florissant when he heard several people yelling that someone was in the river. He quickly spotted a woman struggling against the current, about 75 feet from the shore, in a treacherous area of the Missouri that has claimed several lives in the past. Despite her calls for help, others stood by on the riverbank or called for her to swim with the current. Recognizing the woman was exhausted and struggling to keep her head above the surface, Sgt. Landsness quickly entered the river, swam to the woman and calmly brought her to the shore, saving her life.
Darren M. Rodgers, Arnold Police Department and Gerald L. Williams, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office
2010 Class
Awarded on: 11/02/2011
Medal of Valor
On Jan. 29, 2010, Cpl. Williams received a lead that the suspect in the theft of almost 50 guns - including fully automatic weapons - was hiding in a shed in Imperial. Sgt. Rodgers was part of the team assembled to capture the dangerous suspect. Williams, Rodgers and another officer approached the shed.
Kenneith D. Smith Jr., St. Joseph Police Department
2010 Class
Awarded on: 11/02/2011
Medal of Valor
On July 21, 2010, Officer Smith responded to a domestic disturbance call in St. Joseph. As he arrived, the officer spotted the suspect running toward a woman and her young child. When the suspect saw Smith, he ran toward his van and attempted to flee the scene. Smith blocked him, but the suspect refused to obey the officer's commands. The suspect began struggling with Smith and was able to reach a gun hidden in his van. With the gun in his hand, the man told Smith that he was going to kill him. As the two continued to struggle, he placed the gun at Smith's head and pulled the trigger. The officer was able to push the man enough so the bullet missed him, hitting the van. As the struggle continued, Smith pulled his service weapon and repeatedly told the gunman to drop the gun or he would have to shoot. When he aimed his gun at the officer's face, Smith had no alternative but to fire once, killing the gunman. Officer Smith bravely acted to protect the woman and child and exhausted all options, putting his own life at even greater risk, before being forced to use deadly force.