A hero cop who was shot while rescuing a woman from a domestic violence incident in Queens last year was honored by President Obama during a ceremony at the White House.
Joseph Koch was one of 53 “TOP COPS” selected by the National Association of Police Organizations for their service and sacrifice.
The off-duty cop was attending a Father’s Day barbecue at his fiancee’s home in Jamaica last June when he heard the neighbor’s 10-year-old son, Jacob Rodriguez, charging out of his home screaming, “He’s killing my mother!”
Obama recounted on Monday how the officer, “jumped a fence during his own Father’s Day celebration when a boy screamed that someone was trying to kill his mom.”
“He saved both the mother and her son — and now that little boy says he’s thinking about becoming a cop as well,” the president said.
Koch grabbed his gun after hearing the boy’s cries and rushed into Christina Rodriguez’s home, where he saw the woman being attacked by ex-boyfriend Jose Brenazard.
The brute turned his sights toward Koch before trying to wrestle the gun away from him.
The gun then went off during the struggle and hit the cop’s hand, but Koch managed to regain control and shoot Brenazard in the stomach before taking him into custody.
“When the moment came – when the shooting started, or a bomb went off, or a hostage was taken, or a child screamed for help – they did not hesitate,” Obama said, referring to the 53 officers being honored.
“They went into action. They ran toward the danger – not away from it. And they risked their lives to save the lives of others.”