Officers recognized for bravery
Posted By STAFF
Posted 2 months ago
Two Barrie cops who were critically injured this past summer will receive the Ontario Medal for Police Bravery today at Queen's Park.
Constables Clayton Speers, 29, and Dave Edgar, 26, will be among the 11 police officers and five firefighters who will receive the bravery medals, which have been handed out annually since 1975.
Ontario Lt.-Gov. David Onley will present the medals at 6 p. m., while Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services Rick Bartolucci reads the citations.
Barrie resident Dennis Albert Melton, 48, was shot to death by police on July 5 after stabbing the two Barrie police officers in the neck.
Speers and Edgar were working that Sunday when a call came in at 10:30 a. m., about a male pedestrian acting erratically on Bayfield Street.
Speers, the first to arrive on scene, called for backup, but didn't know Melton was armed with a knife. Melton then stabbed Speers in the throat.
Edgar arrived from a few blocks away to see Speers falling to the ground. Edgar intervened and tackled Melton, but he was also stabbed in the neck. Edgar managed to free himself from Melton's grip and distance himself from his assailant.
Speers then fired his gun in Melton's direction, followed by a number of rounds from Edgar.
Still armed with the knife, Melton began walking north on Bayfield Street and was pursued by Edgar, who ordered him to drop the weapon and get on the ground.
When Melton didn't comply and kept walking, Edgar got in front of Melton and repeated his commands.
Melton wards Edgar with the knife raised, prompting Edgar to fire a number of shots. Melton fell to the ground and was pronounced dead at Royal Victoria Hospital.
Speers and Edgar were also rushed to RVH where they underwent emergency surgery for life-threatening injuries. They were released about a week later.
Speers, who is married, and Edgar, who's single, joined the Barrie police department as cadets in August 2008.
