The Boston Police Foundation Hero’s Award
This award is presented to the Officer (or Officers) who have demonstrated exceptional strength, courage, fortitude, sacrifice and service during a time of crisis. The individual(s) selected for this award will have upheld the finest traditions of the Boston Police Department during the heroic performance of his/her (their) duty under the most grave and critical of circumstances.
2015 Recipients:
Police Officer Terry Cotton Drug Control Unit
Detective Harry Jean Drug Control Unit
On Aug 07, 2013 Officer Terry Cotton assigned to the VD32 unit and Officer Harry Jean assigned to the VD90 unit were conducting drug investigations with members of the B-3 Drug Control Unit and the E-18 Drug Control Unit.. The target of the investigation was dealing large quantities of Cocaine from a known location in the Dorchester section of the City of Boston.
At approximately 13:45 hours Officers Jean and Cotton were conducting undercover surveillance from their drug unit car in the area of Dorchester Ave and Shepton Street. At this time Officers Cotton and Jean observed two unknown individuals who were acting in a suspicious manner. After deciding to conduct a threshold inquiry of these two individuals, Officer Cotton turned onto Shepton Street from Dorchester Ave. After alighting from their undercover car with their Boston police badges displayed, they announced their office ” Boston Police”. At this time one of the unknown individuals pulled a loaded firearm from his waste area and started to fire upon the officers as they attempted to seek cover behind their vehicle. Because Officer Jean had exited the vehicle from the passenger side, he was in a better position to engage the suspect in a fire fight. During the exchange of gunfire, the suspect was struck in the torso and went down. Officer Jean who was also struck by gunfire from the suspect was down at this point. At this point Officer Cotton who had also suffered gunshot wounds from the same suspect was able to secure the firearm from the suspect and make sure the second suspect was not a threat to himself or his partner Officer Jean.
Officers Jean and Cotton were both transported to area Hospitals where they received treatment for non- life threating gunshot wounds to their lower extremities. The suspect would also be transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead. The second suspect made good his escape.