Honoree Believes True Heroes are Young Police Cadet
and Wal-Mart Security Guard

New York, Nov. 16 - Marcus Young, 42, of the Ukiah, California, Police Department, who was named 2004 Police Officer of the Year by PARADE magazine and the International Association of Chiefs of Police for his heroic action during a shooting, now wants to put the incident behind him and move on.

“The recognition I have received has been very positive and exciting for me and my family,” Young tells PARADE Contributing Editor Larry Smith, “but what I want now is to return to full duty status and for my life to get back to normal.”

Smith introduced Young to the IACP General Assembly and presented Young with his award at a luncheon today at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. Ten additional officers received honorable mention.

On the night of March 7, 2003, Sgt. Marcus Young volunteered to fill a patrol shift vacancy. On his shift, Young, accompanied by Julian Covella, a high school student and police cadet, then 17, was called to a local Wal-Mart to arrest a shoplifter. During the arrest, Young was approached by the shoplifter's boyfriend, Neal Beckman, 35, a violent felon, who pulled a knife from his pocket. Young seized the felon's arm and twisted it behind his back. Beckman pulled a gun and shot Young five times. Young's body armor stopped two bullets to his chest and saved his life.

Beckman then stabbed the store's unarmed security guard, Brett Schott, and ran toward the patrol car, where Young had left his rifle and shotgun. “I was on my knees in a parking space,” Young recalls. “My right arm was paralyzed, my left hand had a two-inch tear between the index and middle fingers, and I could not draw my gun. I was bleeding profusely.”

Young called over the cadet, Julian Covella, who had radioed for backup, to unholster Young's pistol and place it in his left hand. Young fired four rounds, stopping Beckman before he could grab a firearm and begin shooting again.

After help arrived, Young, Schott and Beckman were taken to the local hospital, where Beckman was pronounced dead. Schott recovered from his wounds, but Young continues to struggle with pain and weakness in his upper body. “I thought the entire time that I was going to die,” Young tells PARADE. “I told an officer to tell my wife I loved her, because I didn't think I would get to do it myself.”

The officer believes strongly that Brett Schott and Julian Covella “were the real heroes in this scenario. They risked their lives to help me, to help and officer out. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them. I do believe God was with me. Anything different and I wouldn't be here. We survived and he didn't murder anybody. He had spent most of his adult life in prison, he had a stolen handgun and give explosive devices in his car.”

“The department and community support have been very big. We are a small area and it affected the entire community. It could have happened to anybody.” It turns out a popular ripoff is to go into Wal-Mart or some similar place, rip off the tags and take the object to the refund window and get the cash for a “return.” “If I wasn't there that night, he'd have murdered somebody else, all for a $29 duffel bag. If I had it to do over, I'd give him the 30 bucks myself.”

The ten officers who will receive honorable mention are:

Trooper Jason Davis
Georgia State Patrol
Trooper Davis, 24, showed great restraint in his pursuit of a suspect in four murders who had killed his own child and kidnapped three others. Davis safely halted the fleeing vehicle, captured the suspect and rescued the children.

Officer Michael Mauldin
Charlotte/Mecklenburg, N.C.
A triathlete, Officer Mauldin, 44, swam through heavy Atlantic surf to save an 8-year-old boy caught in an undertow. The boy's father could have drowned in the attempt to rescue his son, but Mauldin sent him back to shore before swimming out to save the child.

Officer Timothy Virden
St. Petersburg, Fla.
Despite a head wound from an assault rifle fired from a fleeing vehicle, Officer Virden, 49, stuck with the pursuit for several miles. His courage and persistence led to the capture of four suspects wanted in a drive-by shooting.

Sgt. Gerald McDevitt
Charleston, S.C.
Unable to enter a burning house because its doors and windows were secured with locks and iron bars, Sgt. McDevitt, 39, kicked an air conditioner unit loose, tugged it out and pulled a little boy to safety before crawling inside to rescue three more confused and terrified occupants, including another small child.

Master Patrol Officer John Sims Jr.
Laurel, Md.
Called to the scene of a domestic dispute, Officer Sims, 41, heard gunfire. After directing numerous bystanders to safety, he came under fire himself. Sims shot and killed the suspect, then provided aid to another woman who had also been injured.

Officer David Tobin
Homewood, Ill.
After anticipating the escape route of three armed robbers, Officer Tobin, 37, withstood heavy fire as he followed their vehicle until it crashed. When the suspects continued to shoot, Tobin wounded two of them and captured one. The others were collared by assisting officers.

Officer Christopher Guadagno
Fort Pierce, Fla.
Through perseverance, dedication and commitment, Officer Guadagno, 36, solved the case of a serial rapist who had been victimizing little girls in the Fort Pierce area.

Officer Sean Kilbreth
Bedford, N.H.
Confronting a suspect in a parking lot, Officer Kilbreth, 33, found himself facing a drawn gun. He refused the suspect's order to lie down and took a bullet to the hip before managing to shoot and kill his assailant.

Detectives Daniel Whalen and Bryan Kasul
Washington, D.C.
To solve a particularly grisly homicide, Detectives Whalen, 42, and Kasul, 40, carefully secured the crime scene and analyzed it closely. Pursuing every available lead, they tracked down the suspects in just 48 hours and solved several other major crimes in the process.

The Police Officer of the Year Awards were established by PARADE and the IACP in 1966 to focus attention on the dedicated men and women of our nation's police force. They are given for specific acts of valor, consistent service above and beyond the call of duty, development of innovative programs and significant service to the community apart from police work.

Attached is a photo of (left to right) of Sergeant Marcus Young of the Ukiah, California Police Department, FBI Director Robert Mueller and PARADE Contributing Editor Larry Smith.

Photo by David Hathcox.

For more information, contact Elisa Cohen, staff liaison, 1-800-THE-IACP Ext. 214.