Three Norwood Police Officers Receive State George L. Hanna Bravery Awards-September 25, 1991

BOSTON — Three Norwood police officers were among six law enforcement personnel from Norwood and Braintree honored for exceptional bravery yesterday during the annual George L. Hanna awards ceremony at the State House.

State Recognition for Valor Under Fire

Presented by Governor William Weld, the prestigious citations are named in honor of a Massachusetts State Police trooper who was killed during a traffic stop in Auburn in 1983. Norwood officers Richard Giacoppo, Kevin Grasso, and Robert Harkins received citations for their heroic actions last fall when they successfully captured an armed juvenile suspect who had taken an elderly Norwood woman and her daughter-in-law hostage.

Responding to a call from the woman’s son, the officers surrounded the home. Officer Harkins rang the front doorbell, prompting the elderly woman to free herself, open the door, and signal toward a gunman holding a rifle while leading the other woman down the stairs. Harkins swiftly pulled the elderly woman to safety just as the homeowner’s son tackled the gunman. The suspect’s rifle discharged, striking the younger woman in the leg, but Officers Giacoppo, Grasso, and Harkins immediately rushed in to subdue, disarm, and arrest the suspect, identified as Mark Murphy of Newton (then 17, awaiting trial as an adult).

Reflecting on the tense ten-minute ordeal, Harkins—a five-year veteran of the force—expressed surprise at receiving the statewide honor, noting, “I didn’t think it was that big of a deal… We owe it all to good training.”

Braintree Officers Also Honored

The ceremony also recognized three Braintree officers for separate acts of valor:

• Patrolman Michael Leary and Sgt. Frederick Marks were cited for subduing a 19-year-old man who had slashed his wrists with a kitchen knife and violently attacked officers.
• Patrolman Brian Cohoon was honored for his pursuit of armed robbery suspects along Route 3 in October, where he confronted an armed suspect alone before backup arrived to apprehend four individuals.

Additional high honors were awarded during the ceremony, including medals of valor to Brockton officers Robert Bunar and David Bowles for rescuing a motorist from a burning car, and a medal of honor to Lowell patrolman Howard Osborne for subduing armed robbery suspects while off-duty.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger