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Amanda Bunting Comen.
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Left to right: Chamber President Jennifer Maxwell; Chief Kevin Cornett; Lt. Charles Forsythe; Capt. Jeff Swain; Sgt. Matt Storen; Eddie Phipps, who is in charge of the Chamber’s First Responder program; Detective Amanda Postell; Detective Joseph Tumminelli; Field Training officer Jason Santulli; Master Police Officer Lance Hammond; and Chamber Secretary Karina Garrison. Not pictured: Patrolman Dustin Griffin.
The Isle of Palms police officers who recently put themselves in danger to protect others were honored by the Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce May 18.
The Chamber presented is monthly First Responder Award to eight officers who responded to a shooting incident on the IOP beach the evening of April 7, including Capt. Jeff Swain, Lt. Charles Forsythe, Sgt. Matt Storen, Detectives Amanda Postell and Joseph Tumminelli, Field Training Officer Jason Santulli, Master Police Officer Lance Hammond and Patrolman Dustin Griffin. Seven of the eight officers, all but Griffin, were present at Alhambra Hall in Mount Pleasant to receive a medal of valor and a base on which to display it.
The honor was well-deserved, according to IOP Police Chief Kevin Cornett, who told the audience of approximately 125 people that his officers ran toward, rather than away from, danger, focusing on the safety of the people on the beach, even those who had been arrested and handcuffed. He also told the crowd how important assistance from other law enforcement agencies was, especially from Chief Mark Arnold and the Mount Pleasant Police Department.
Five people were wounded by gunfire during the incident.
Eddie Phipps, who is in charge of the Chamber’s First Responder program, pointed out that the honor was especially appropriate because it was presented during National Police Week.
“We had an unfortunate event that gained national exposure at the Isle of Palms beach. The Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce is proud to recognize those police officers who responded to the event, sacrificed their safety and ran toward the shooting that occurred that day,” Phipps commented. “The public doesn’t realize that they weren’t shooting at each other. They went there with the mind-set of shooting police officers. It was above and beyond the call of duty to risk their lives like that.”
“There should not be guns on the beach. That’s a place of sanctuary,” he added.
