First responders from Six Nations, Waterloo Region, Owen Sound and Caledon recognized for bravery

Viewer video shows a tense confrontation between a police officer and a man with a hatchet in Kitchener, Ont.

Local police officers and firefighters will be receiving a special medal to recognize their exceptional bravery in the line of duty.

The Ontario government has released a list of 15 police officers and firefighters who will be receiving the Ontario Medal for Police Bravery and the Ontario Medal for Firefighter Bravery.

The medals are considered a high honour and are only given to first responders who have risked their lives to protect others.

Constable Joshua Gurney

An officer with the Owen Sound Police is being praised for his work to protect another person from a suspect with a hunting knife and bear spray.

Constable Joshua Gurney was called to an apartment building on Sept. 24, 2023. According to a news release from the province, the building’s superintendent had been ambushed by an armed assailant.Gurney pulled the superintendent to safety and put himself between them and the suspect. The attacker turned on the officer, spraying him and slashing at him with the knife.

Gurney drew his firearm and retreated while shouting commands, but the suspect chased after him.

Gurney swapped his firearm for a conducted energy weapon, commonly known as a Taser, and stopped the suspect. Investigators later said the suspect had tied the knife to their wrist and had several other weapons.

Constable Colin Burning and Constable Richard Smith

Two constables from Six Nations Police are being recognized for pulling a person from a burning vehicle.

The pair were on patrol in Six Nations of the Grand River on Nov. 8, 2024 when they found a vehicle that had crashed and rolled into a ditch.

When the officers took a closer look at the vehicle, which was on fire, they saw an unconscious person in the driver’s seat.

They grabbed an axe and broke the windshield to pull the victim to safety. However, as the flames spread to the dashboard, the driver woke up and crawled into the backseat to try to escape the fire.

Acting quickly, the constables moved to the back of the vehicle and pulled them through the rear window moments before flames engulfed the vehicle.

All three people were treated for smoke inhalation.

Firefighters Jesse Di Giovanni and Jack Rooney

Two firefighters are being recognized for literally diving in to save the life of a person trapped in a submerged vehicle.

On Aug. 17, 2024, Caledon Fire and Emergency Services firefighters Jesse Di Giovanni and Jack Rooney were driving along Highway 410 near Mississauga when they saw an overturned vehicle in a flooded trench.

Bystanders pleaded for help, saying someone was still trapped inside.

Di Giovanni and Rooney jumped into action and waded into the murky waters. Rooney dived down and found an unconscious person underwater, but they were stuck.

Di Giovanni then dove in, unbuckled the person’s seatbelt and adjusted the seat, but was unable to free the victim.

With help from an Ontario Provincial Police officer who also arrived at the crash site, the vehicle was shifted enough for Di Giovanni to pull the person free. A release from the town of Caledon said the person’s leg had been trapped under the car.

Di Giovanni and the police officer hauled the victim out of the water and Di Giovanni started CPR, however, they did not survive the ordeal.

Constable Matthew Cabral

A Waterloo Regional Police Service officer is being recognized for his unwavering actions in the face of a potentially violent suspect.

On Feb. 5, 2025, Constable Matthew Cabral was on patrol in the Strasburg Road and Block Line Road area of Kitchener when his cruiser’s licence plate reader pinged on a vehicle registered to a suspended driver. The suspect saw the cruiser and tried to take off in the vehicle, running a red light and crashing into another car during the busy evening commute.

When the suspect climbed out, they threatened Cabral. The officer fired his stun gun twice and tried to wrestle the driver to the ground, but the suspect could not be subdued.

The suspect then tried to grab the officer’s gun before returning to their vehicle and coming back with a hatchet.

Cabral did not back down and attempted a gunpoint arrest at the busy intersection. He was able to fend off the suspect until other officers arrived, and an arrest was made.

“Cabral’s restraint, quick thinking and courage under pressure protected the community during a dangerous and unpredictable encounter,” a release from the province read.

The driver of the truck, a 27-year-old Kitchener man, was charged with possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest, assaulting a police officer with a weapon, disarming a police officer and dangerous operation of a vehicle.

Chris Lewis, a former OPP commissioner and CTV’s public safety analyst, shared his reaction following the incident.

“The man was obviously large, powerful, and the officers showed incredible restraint,” he said. “[The officer] handled it very well, very professionally. I was very impressed.”

Lewis also praised the officer’s restraint.

“You could see how quickly [the interaction] could have changed at any point along the way and then, suddenly, the officer has to go to deadly force,” he said. “In this case, it wasn’t required, thankfully, and ultimately, it ended without any loss of life.”