Spotsylvania Sheriff's Captain Wins Valor Award

By Martin Davis
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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Captain Daniel Harris. Photo: Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office.

At the forthcoming Virginia Sheriff’s Association meeting this coming September, one local officer will receive recognition for valor.

According to information provided in a VSA press release, Harris responded to a 911 call from a child on June 30, 2024. The 911 call recorded the child saying that “My mom said that my dad's drunk and he has pointed a gun and threatened that she is dead but he hasn't shot her yet, but he's about to.”

The children in the house were upstairs, while the husband and wife were in the basement, where he was holding the mother at gunpoint.

When Harris arrived he “took up a prone position with his patrol rifle focused on the suspect through a basement window.”

The mother was pleading with the husband to not shoot. During this time, he heard the children exiting the house via the front door, having been rescued by sheriff’s deputies.

At that moment, “the suspect raised his gun to the mother’s head, preparing to shoot her. Captain Harris shot the gunman and eliminated the threat.”

The award will be presented to Harris at the VSA annual conference, September 16-18, at the Marriott Virginia Beach Oceanfront.

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