Victoria, BC – VicPD honoured 16 retiring women and men, both civilian and sworn, at our annual retirement ceremony last night. For one retiring constable, the celebration of the accomplishments of her 24-year career saw her finish her recognized for her life-saving actions during a 2017 domestic violence call.
In the days before her retirement earlier this week, Cst. Brenda Kelly was presented with an Inspector’s Commendation by Deputy Chief Constable Jason Laidman during an informal ceremony. The citation marks Cst. Kelly’s actions during a violent 2017 call in which she displayed courage and professionalism and saved a woman’s life.
On March 9th, 2017, in the late afternoon, the Victoria Police Department’s Communications Centre received a 911 call from a distraught woman who could be heard over the open phone line screaming for help. The woman could be heard pleading with her husband to get off her and to stop the attack. It was clear to the Communications Centre staff that the woman was being violently assaulted and was unable to escape.
Cst. Brenda Kelly, working as a single-officer unit, responded to the scene “code three”. As the first officer to arrive on scene, she was met with a locked front door and a violent attack taking place inside the residence. With neither back-up nor a full understanding of what awaited her inside, the need to save the victim from further harm drove Cst. Kelly to gain entry into the home. Cst. Kelly made her way into the residence. Without hesitation and with complete disregard for her own safety, Cst. Kelly began clearing her way through the house in search of the victim and suspect.
Cst. Kelly located the victim in a small main-floor bathroom. The suspect, a man of significant stature, was in the midst of a life-threatening attack on a woman. Cst. Kelly was able to take charge of the suspect and bring the assault to an end. She held the suspect at gun-point until back-up officers arrived to assist in completing the arrest.
The suspect was arrested for aggravated assault and was taken into custody. As a result of Cst. Kelly’s quick, calm, and decisive actions, the victim was saved from the life-threatening attack.
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