Officers Honored For Heroic Actions: 'I Would Do It All Over Again'
CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (CBS4) - Several officers from the Castle Rock Police Department were honored and promoted on Friday.
The officers were at the shooting on New Year's Eve which killed a Douglas County Sheriff's deputy.
One of the Castle Rock officers was also hurt.
Ofc. Thomas O'Donnell received not one, but two awards for his heroism in the line of duty. But, if you ask him, he was just doing his job.
"It's kind of surreal. I don't see my actions as heroic or anything. I would do it all over again for any one of these guys," O'Donnell said.
His bravery was on display when a man was holed up in his apartment and opened fire on first responders. Deputy Zack Parrish was shot and later died.
"I knew an officer was down, I didn't know who it was," O'Donnell said.
The two worked together, even played softball together, but that night, O'Donnell had to be one of the members who had to figure out how to get Parrish out.
"So, then the emotions kind of hit, but I had to push those back and get back to work, and then afterwards all those emotions came flooding back," he said.
O'Donnell was also wounded that day, but his drive to do his job never waivered. He often thinks about the day he lost his friend.
"The emotional part has been tougher obviously, all of the reminders that keep coming up," he said.
But it's been the community coming together that's kept him going.
"The community has been amazing. My family, the Castle Rock PD and Dougco family," said O'Donnell.
O'Donnell received a Medal of Valor and a Purple Heart.