Several Manassas police officers were recognized for bravery at a recent ceremony on Monday, Oct. 28, 2024.
From Manassas police :
On January 14, 2024, Officers responded to the Brentwood Apartments area for a possible shooting. Once on scene, Officers located a subject suffering from gunshot wounds.
The subject was rapidly losing blood and consciousness. Officer Stadtman provided Officer Ricapito with a tourniquet.Officer Rios held the subject still and applied pressure to the wounds while Officer Ricapito applied a tourniquet to one of the subject’s limbs. Officer Siemek continued to speak with the victim and tried to keep him from losing consciousness while the Officers awaited an ambulance.
At this point, the Officers on the scene had no knowledge of what had occurred, so there was a possibility the shooter was still nearby. Officer Stadtman approached the scene with his rifle and established a safety perimeter around the Officers.
While maintaining security, Officer Stadtman interacted with the nearby citizens to gather dynamic intelligence while directing traffic around the crime scene to maintain the integrity of the crime scene. The incident occurred in the early evening, and the victim was next to an intersection that needed to be closed to preserve evidence.
These variables added to the chaotic nature of the scene. Together, Officer Ricapito and Officer Rios applied bandages and wrapped the victim’s leg.
Rescue personnel arrived and took over lifesaving measures. The victim was ultimately transported to Fairfax Hospital and survived the incident.
The quick actions of the above-named Officers led to the victim’s survival of the incident. Without the exceptional teamwork and performances of the involved employees, the victim would likely not have survived.
On August 1, 2023, at [7 p.m.] officers responded to the report of a shooting in progress near Taney Rd and Hood Rd. Sergeant Casteline was one of the first on the scene and immediately started directing incoming officers.
Officers located a sizeable crime scene that spanned Taney Rd. from Hood Rd to Hampton Rd. The preliminary investigation revealed that over twenty rounds had been fired between multiple suspects.
Multiple cars had been struck and one residence. At 2206hrs officers were once again dispatched to 9370 Taney Rd for a shooting in progress.
Sergeant Casteline and Officers Barrett, Stanikzai, Curry, Bowden, G, and Rios were first on the scene. One officer secured the main level while the other officers located the victim, a 19-year-old male, who had an apparent gunshot wound in the neck.
The officers did not know where the shooter was but recognized the severity of the injury and they immediately started rendering aid using their Tactical Emergency Casualty Care kit.
MPO Curry grabbed a towel to apply pressure and stanch the bleeding. MPO Barrett utilized the TECC kit and provided MPO Curry with a medical bandage to further stop the bleeding because the towel was insufficient, while SPO Stanikzai elevated the victim’s legs in a passive leg raise to keep the blood flowing to the victim’s heart and prevent shock.SPO Bowden, Ofc G, and Sergeant Casteline set up a protective corridor allowing for rescue to take over medical treatment. Outside the residence officers and supervisors worked together to protect the crime scene and manage unruly spectators and involved parties.
The victim sustained a serious injury that required multiple surgeries and survived.”On July 26, 2023, at [12:21 a.m.] officers responded to the report of a suicidal subject on the top of the parking garage. Officers located the person in crisis (PIC) and he was seated against the wall twirling a razor blade.
MPO Barrett immediately started to speak with the person in crisis from a reasonable and safe distance while Officers Diaz, Rios, and Koncen provided cover. During the twenty minutes that MPO Barrett attempted to establish a rapport, it was evident that PIC would not engage officers.
He would not speak to officers or respond in any way. He would only stare at the razor blade and twirl it in his fingers.
A tactical plan was devised in the event it became necessary to forcibly subdue the PIC to initiate an Emergency Custody Order. While MPO Barrett was speaking to the PIC the PIC looked up at the officers and started to cut his right wrist.
SPO Koncen who already had his Taser concealed, and at the ready, was able to quickly shoot the PIC with Taser probes incapacitating him allowing MPO Barrett and Officers Diaz and Rios to remove the razor and handcuff the PIC. When the subject began to harm himself with the razor officers risked their own safety to save his life.”
On the night of December 14, 2023, Master Detective Petitt was driving home in her personal vehicle after completing her shift as the evening detective. While traveling on 1-66 at Winchester Rd., Detective Petitt observed a vehicle abruptly and aggressively drive across several lanes.
Detective Petitt soon understood why when she observed a vehicle facing the opposite direction of traffic with no headlights and the air bags deployed. Detective Petitt quickly pulled over to the shoulder of the roadway to render aid.
Meanwhile, several vehicles, to include semitrucks, were approaching the citizen vehicle at high rates of speed. Detective Petitt approached the vehicle and observed that there was one male occupant in the driver’s seat.
Detective Petitt quickly took note that the driver appeared confused and dazed. Detective Petitt tried several times to get the driver out of the vehicle.
She had to explain to him that they were in danger of being hit and that they were facing oncoming traffic. Just as Detective Petitt got the citizen out of the vehicle, a semi-truck was observed rapidly approaching them.
The semi-truck narrowly missed the citizen vehicle and Detective Petitt’s personal vehicle. Safely away from oncoming traffic, Detective Petitt was able to call 911 and relay the location of the accident.
Meanwhile, she was able to gain information from the citizen in which he stated that he had fallen asleep. While waiting for police arrival, two off-duty firefighters were able to assist and use their trucks as barriers for the vehicles from oncoming traffic.
Once police arrived, Detective Petitt provided them with all of the information she observed. It was later learned that the driver was arrested for DUI.
When most people might have driven by and gone home after a long day, Detective Petitt chose to put herself in harm’s way to ensure that a citizen would get to safety. Due to these actions, I believe that Detective Petitt displayed heroic actions on that day and should be awarded with the Medal of Valor.
The event covered first responders from the Fredericksburg and Caroline, Stafford, and Spotsylvania counties, filling the main ballroom at the Convention Center. There were 19 awards given out to local Virginia State Troopers and county police officers from all over the area. Included in the 19 awards was a lifetime achievement award given to Fredericksburg Fire Chief Mike Jones, Caroline County Citizens Valor awards given to Shericka Twyner, Russell Trainer, and Desiree Dushane, and the Stafford County Fire and Rescue Citizens Valor Award went to Guillermo Shelton and Austin Leonard.
“We are a better region because of you,” added Steve Cox of Rappahannock Goodwill, one of the sponsors at this event, which the Fredericksburg Chamber of Commerce hosted.
“In many ways, you represent the best of Virginia,” said Jason Miyares, the attorney general of Virginia. He compared them to World War II’s ‘greatest generation’ and the soldiers that landed at Normandy. “You go to work each morning and put on the bulletproof vest,” he added. “The hardest thing I have to do as Attorney General is speak at the funerals of the fallen first responders,” he said.
As the awards were presented, some details were shared about the officers’ criminal enforcement and other community improvement actions.
Captain Crystal Hill of the Fredericksburg Police launched the city’s first lobotomy program, while Fire Captain John Hanson honed the water rescue program on the Rappahannock River. “The efforts of his work are recognized,” said Stafford Fire Department Chief Joseph Cardello. There were many stories that day that showed the professionalism of all involved.
For the first time at this event, the Chamber introduced the Lifetime Achievement Award to honor exceptional contributions in the field. Retired chief of the Fredericksburg Fire Department, Eddie Allen, presented the award to current Fredericksburg Fire Chief Mike Jones.
Jones began his fire service career in 1979 with the Falmouth Volunteer Fireman’s Association. He excelled in training and became a key member of the team. Jones followed in his father’s footsteps, who was a firefighter for Fairfax County. His commitment to excellence saw him rise through the ranks from Lieutenant in 1987 to achieving his dream of becoming Fire Chief in March 2020, a challenging time marked by the COVID-19 pandemic. He played a crucial role in public outreach, recording daily updates to inform and reassure the community during those dark months.
Throughout his career, Jones has been dedicated to community service and building relationships with civic organizations, state agencies, and the Fredericksburg Volunteer Rescue Squad, where he has been a member for over 38 years. He has also been a mentor, preparing others for leadership roles and actively participating in community programs like Leadership Fredericksburg.
Kevin Dillard, Chair of the Fredericksburg Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and this event stated, “Serving as chair of the annual First Responders event provided me the opportunity to do some research whereby I discovered that our organization had never honored a first responder for a lifetime of service in the Commonwealth. I strongly believe that the men and women who have served for many years, whether as volunteer or career first responders, deserve recognition for their many years of public service.”
The sponsors were highlighted as well, and the list included Goodwill Rappahannock, The Oberle Academy, Pierpoint Construction, Lifecare Medical Transports, Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center, Mullins & Thompson, Tire Tread Service, Dominion Energy, Spartan, Fredericksburg Public School Foundation, Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, Riphean, Fredericksburg Nationals Baseball Team, CIP Finishes, Arsenal Events, Truist, Found and Sons, Hilldrup, Matern, Germanna, Little Tire, Discover Next Step, Topside, PRSA, The UPS Store, Virginia Credit Union, Black Rifle Coffee, Mattaponi Springs and RSQ.
