Weldon police Chief Christopher Davis Monday presented lifesaving awards and bars to two officers who on August 11 pulled a man from a burning vehicle.

Davis presented the awards to Lieutenant Lloyd Melton and Corporal Shawn McKimmey during the town board meeting.

Davis called the two officers heroes for their efforts that evening. “ … We had a bad car wreck where the car actually caught on fire. Upon the officers’ arrival the fire was pretty bad at the time. They were able to get there.”

In the last gallery photo Melton is pictured with his girlfriend, Raquita Shearin, and his son, Jamari. McKimmey is pictured with his mother, Sharon Vessey.

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The victim, Davis told the board, “was a little bit outside the car but he was trapped due to the way the car was damaged. He wasn’t able to get out himself. The officers risked their lives to go up there and pull this gentleman away to a safety zone where he could later be taken to the hospital.”

The victim sustained many broken bones and a few third-degree burns. “Looking at the body cam video, within 30 seconds the flames were actually inside the vehicle where he was at. They got him out pretty much in the nick of time,” the police chief said.

The lifesaving certificates say, “For the outstanding police performance in the saving of human life and the display of courageous behavior therefore earn the respect and admiration for himself and the department.”

Davis then presented the two officers with lifesaving commendation bars to wear on their uniforms. “I appreciate the job that y’all did that night, going above and beyond and I’m proud to have both of y’all on the force.”

Commissioner John Smith noted that fellow Commissioner Doris Garner mentioned to him that Davis presented the awards to the officers on the anniversary of the 9-11 terrorist attacks. “The men went in to retrieve and save and I can feel that power when they (Melton and McKimmey) got up and came up here.”

Said Davis: “It takes a special person to do the job we do and firefighters do as well.”

Mayor Hugh Credle thanked the families who came out to see the presentation. Of the firefighters, the mayor said, “They did a fantastic job of containing the flames to make sure the fire was smothered when they got him out.”