Cobb Police officers awarded Medal of Valor by Cobb Chamber

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Cobb Police Officers Medal Valor Cobb Chamber
Photo: Karl L. Moore/Mooreshots LLC, Courtesy of Cobb Chamber of Commerce

The Cobb Chamber of Commerce on Monday honored public safety personnel at its annual Public Safety Appreciation luncheon.

Among those honored were Cobb Police officers David Cavender, John Pearson and Bryan Moore, who responded to a carjacking in the Powers Ferry Road area in June 2020 that led to the shooting death of the suspect (previous ECN story here).

One of the officers was shot by the suspect, and for their work, they received the Chamber’s Medal of Valor, “the highest award recognizing an individual for an act of bravery in a life-threatening situation. The award is only presented when a deserving candidate is found.”

Here are more details about that incident:

On June 25, 2020, Cobb County Police officers responded to the area of Powers Ferry Road and Delk Road regarding a carjacking that had just occurred in a grocery parking lot. The victim reported that a male had brandished a knife and stole his Tesla vehicle. The suspect had arrived at the shopping center in a truck that he had earlier carjacked before fleeing in the Tesla. Cobb Police officers were able to locate the suspect and pursued him for several miles until the suspect abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot. He fired several rounds from a rifle at the pursuing officers, who took cover and lost sight of the suspect. Cobb Police SWAT Team officers David Cavender and John Pearson responded to nearby townhomes where residents had called 911 after observing the suspect entering their complex.

Officer Bryan Moore, of the Cobb Police K-9 Unit, responded to the townhomes and spoke with a resident who said that he had seen the suspect run behind a trash dumpster at the end of a parking lot. As Officer Cavender and Officer Pearson approached the dumpster on opposing sides. Moments later the suspect fired on Officer Cavender without warning. Officer Cavender was struck in the right temple by shrapnel from the one of the suspect’s rounds that had hit the holographic sight on his rifle. As Cavender turned his head to the right, he was struck on the back of his head by another rifle round. Fortunately, the round only grazed his scalp, and he was able to return fire and move to cover behind a vehicle. As that was occurring, Officer Pearson quickly located the suspect and stopped the threat. Once additional officers arrived, Officer Pearson escorted Officer Cavender to the front of the townhomes complex to meet with medical personnel. A short time later, supervisors created a tactical plan to approach the suspect and found him deceased.

Officers Cavender, Pearson and Moore are veteran members of the Cobb Police SWAT Team and K9 Unit. As they were searching for the suspect in the residential area that had dozens of potential danger areas and hiding spots, the three officers utilized their tactical training to analyze the situation and make an effective plan to solve the crisis.  Had they not changed their approach route to the suspect’s location, the incident could have had fatal consequences for Officers Cavender, Pearson and Moore, as well as many other officers and dozens of civilians who were enjoying the summer evening.

The 2021 Public Safety Appreciation Breakfast was made possible with the support of our event sponsors, including Platinum Sponsors, Cobb EMC and Wellstar Health System; Awards Sponsor, LoRusso Law Firm; Gold Sponsors, Genuine Parts Company and Walton Communities; Silver Sponsors, Barrow Wrecker Services, C.W. Matthews Contracting Co. Inc., GLOCK, Governor’s Gun Club, Kennesaw State University, Marietta Wrecker, MetroAtlanta Ambulance Service, Puckett EMS, Six Flags Over Georgia, The Cooper Firm, and Vinings Bank; and Patriot Sponsors, E. Smith Heating & Air Conditioning, Georgia Power, Marietta Family Restaurants, Mauldin & Jenkins, and Northside Hospital.

For the latest information on Public Safety Appreciation Week, visit www.cobbchamber.org/publicsafety.

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