Fresno Police Department honors its own at ceremony

Fresno police officer Cary Weigant was responding to a report of gunshots in a gang-ridden area of east-central Fresno in January 2014 when he found a man bleeding profusely from gunshot wounds just below his neck.

Weigant grabbed a bag of gauze from his medical kit, put it over the hole in the victim’s chest and applied pressure to stop the bleeding. And he kept talking to the man, trying to reassure him that he would survive.

“The whole time I was speaking with him the gentleman kept asking if he was going to die?” Weigant said. “I told him he was not going to die, just stay with me, keep looking at me, you’re going to make it.”

Weigant’s quick action saved the man’s life. On Tuesday, the officer was honored at Fresno City Hall for his life-saving actions. Friends and family members filled the council chambers, where Weigant was one of 43 people honored at the Major Commendation Awards Ceremony.

Weigant was one of 16 officers honored with a Lifesaving Medal. His story exemplifies what many officers face in the field. Weigant said he knew the situation he faced was dire, but “the whole time I was thinking, ‘You know, what if this was my family member and he was dying? I’d want somebody to be there for him.’”

Weigant has served with the force for 13 years, and he’s been nominated several times but never won.

“It feels good to be appreciated by the community that I serve every day and to be able to save a life that otherwise would’ve been lost had it not been the right time and right area. It felt really good.”

Police Chief Jerry Dyer said the importance of the event is not only recognizing the officers, but to have a day of celebration for the families of the officers.

“The police officer wears the badge, but the family are the ones that carry the weight and the burden behind that badge,” Dyer said.

The other honorees included:

Lifesaving Medal

Officers Matthew Vincent, Michael Diaz, Cary Weigant, Gerald Sepeda, Eduardo Avalos, Jesus Cerda, Jeffery Lee, Ronald Rendon, Frank Borrego, Brian Twedt, Jacob Dellone, Sean Cowart, Stephen Craig, Sammy Ashworth, Rudy Montoya and Rick Ventura (retired)

500 DUI Arrest Medal

Officers Roland Rendon, Gil Holguin and Monty Lewis

Recovered Firearms Award

Sgt. Paul Cervantes

Officers Miguel Alvarez, Nathan Carr, Luis Carrillo, Eden Cerda, David Fenstermaker, Robert Fry, Brent Garcia, Henry Garcia, Ted Garcia, Jarite Gueringer, Tom Hardin, Jr., Justin Hardy, Cory Hastings, Felipe Lucero, Brian Pierce, Zeb Price, Manuel Romero, Anthony Vallez, Mark Witrado, Robert Yeager and Vincent Zavala

Latent Print/Suspect Identification Pin

Cadet Timothy Barnett (Bronze) and Cadet Erica Regalado (Bronze and Silver)

This story was originally published June 30, 2015 at 6:28 PM with the headline "Fresno Police Department honors its own at ceremony."