News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
The medals were awarded for the officers' conduct in a shooting incident which occurred in Sisters on December 26, 1995.
In that incident, Pray and Brown responded that evening to a report of a suspicious man with a gun at Bank of the Cascades. Police reported that when confronted by the officers, Reginald Robert Hill, 74, of Sweet Home, fired in the direction of the officers.
Brown, armed with a rifle and a loudspeaker, talked Hill into putting down his gun, and Hill was taken into custody.
It could easily have gone another way.
Pray said he held back from firing on Hill after Hill missed him with two shots at 40 feet because returning fire could have endangered bystanders behind Hill.
"Once I had cover and knew I had cover there was time to see what was behind him. Because of the people around, we chose not to fire," Pray said.
Still, Brown said, if Hill had not finally complied with police and had continued to be a threat with his gun, the officers might have had to fire on him.
"If he had continued the threat, I definitely would have responded," Brown said.
Pray attributed the successful resolution of the incident to good training, particularly Oregon State Police computer- simulated "shoot/don't shoot" training.
"I think that really prepares you for what you're going to get into on the street," he said.
Both officers said they were pleased by the recognition from their peers.
"It's an honor to be recognized," Brown said. "I'm just glad Don and I came out of it. It shows how well Sisters and the county work together."
This is Brown's second medal of valor. He was recognized in 1983 after he and another officer pulled a man from a burning vehicle just before it exploded.
Ironically, that man died on the morning of the December 26 incident.
Brown's brother Eric, an OSP trooper, was also awarded a medal of valor May 3 for his actions during a shooting incident in Gilchrist.
Both Brown and Pray, while honored by the award, indicated that their actions were part of the job a police officer is trained to do.
"I didn't expect it," Pray reflected. "I didn't think I did anything any officer wouldn't have done. Most of all I'm just glad nobody got hurt in the situation."
According to Brown, Hill is still in custody undergoing psychiatric evaluation.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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