Officer

California Highway Patrol

2/25/2010

Special Act Award (Gold)

On the morning of February 25, 2010, Fresno County Sheriff Deputies were attempting to serve a search warrant to a man in a residential area in the town of Minkler. As the deputies attempted to breach the main door of the residence, they came under intense gunfire from within the home, fatally wounding one of their deputies. They immediately broadcast “shots fired” over the radio. California Officer Haller, responding from the nearby town of Sanger, arrived on scene to find other law enforcement officers engaging the suspect. Officer Haller parked his patrol vehicle, took up position behind his vehicle, and also began to engage the suspect. A short time later, California Highway Patrol Officer Rivera arrived and took up a position of cover next to Officer Haller. Both were engaged with the suspect for an unknown amount of time until someone gave a "cease-fire" command. After approximately 30 minutes with no shooting, the suspect suddenly began firing from an unseen location within the residence. For fear of their safety and the safety of other officers at the scene, Officers Rivera and Haller returned fire towards the residence. During this exchange, someone yelled “officer down.” Officer Rivera moved toward the location of the downed officer, found him next to a marked patrol vehicle, and attempted to extract the downed officer from the line of fire. He was initially helped by an unknown person, however, recognizing the need for assistance and the dire situation of the wounded Officer, Officer Haller stepped out from cover, directly into the line of fire and continued to engage the suspect while he moved toward Officer Rivera and the downed officer. Without regard for their personnel safety, Officers Haller and Rivera, successfully extracted the downed officer. The State of California takes great pride in presenting Officers Sean Haller and Rafael Rivera, these Gold Medals of Valor, for their extraordinary acts of heroism extending far above and beyond the normal call of duty or service.