Sharon Officer Awarded For Saving Mother, Kids

SHARON, MA — A Sharon police officer was honored Thursday at the State House for saving a mother and her three children during an armed home invasion last November. Officer Richard Derry was awarded the Medal of Valor and received recognition with three ceremonies with the governor's office, State Rep. Lou Kafka, and Sen. Walter Timility. The medal of valor is the highest honor a police officer can achieve for acts of bravery.

Nov. 15, 2018 was supposed to be a typical school night for a mother and her three children — but that all changed when a man armed with a knife broke into their Billings Street Home and attacked her, police said. According to police, Richardo Francis, 39, of Hyde Park, broke into the home and attacked the mother. The children hid and all called 911 from their hiding places. Fortunately, Derry was already in the area and was able to get to the house within seconds, Deputy Chief Donald Brewer said. The mother suffered non life-threatening injuries, and none of the children were hurt.

"(Derry) didn't hesitate," Brewer told Patch. "It could have been really bad, but he showed restraint and didn't waste time."

Derry was also honored by the Board of Selectmen on March 26 for his bravery. Chief John Ford said he's grateful Sharon doesn't have many incidents like this, but that doesn't mean the community is immune to them. He said Derry and other Sharon officers are often called to help with dangerous situations in other South Shore communities.

"When he gets called out to those high-risk incidents, quite frankly, I don't sleep well at night," Ford said.

He recognized Derry for putting himself in these dangerous situation to help others.

"Without hesitation, and with complete disregard for your own safety, you rushed into the house and confronted the armed suspect," Ford said. "It is clear that your quick response to the scene and your courageous decision to immediately enter the building assuredly saved further violence from occurring, and perhaps even death."