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Gunshots rang out and South Jordan police Officer Steven Gerber fell to the ground.
In an instant, what started out as the routine process of serving an arrest warrant on a convicted felon last year went sour when the subject decided he didn't want to return to custody peacefully.
As Gerber lay with a bullet in his leg from a suspect who fired at police pursuing him, Gerber's comrade on the U.S. Marshals-led Joint Criminal Apprehension Team calmly let his training as a SWAT team operator and medic take control.
Terry Addison pulled Gerber from the line of fire and quickly administered first aid to his bleeding colleague. He kept Gerber at ease while the JCAT team continued to pursue 30-year-old Troy Phil Cabibi, who was eventually taken into custody at an apartment near 3100 South and 300 East on Aug. 26.
Addison's actions last summer earned him national accolades this month at the annual U.S. Marshals Service Director's Award Ceremony in Washington, D.C.
Addison was named law enforcement officer of the year by the Marshals Service, an award given out to an officer who has "made a significant contribution to the mission of the U.S. Marshals," said Jim Thompson, U.S. Marshal for the District of Utah.
"It is a manager's worst nightmare to have one of your officers shot. It was comforting to me to have Addison on the scene that night," Thompson said Monday."He has been invaluable to the JCAT task force."
Addison gained emergency medical training in the military and then moved on to working with the South Salt Lake Fire Department, where he is now a battalion chief, EMT and arson investigator. He also works for the South Salt Lake Police Department as a medic and SWAT member. His position as someone who is cross-trained to work in both the police and fire departments makes him a unique asset to the city, said South Salt Lake police spokesman Gary Keller.
Addison said he never expected to receive an award for his actions the night Gerber was shot. He said his recent trip to the nation's capital was rewarding.
"The experience was pretty neat. It was kind of humbling. I didn't expect an award for what I had done, I was just doing my job," Addison said. "I'm honored by it, for sure."
The episode that left Gerber wounded unfolded as JCAT members surrounded the door of Cabibi, a documented gang member with an extensive record.
Cabibi's juvenile-crime record began with a conviction for stealing at age 13. During the next four years, he was arrested 65 times, with 15 juvenile court convictions ranging from carrying a concealed weapon to possession of a stolen weapon and drug possession.
In 1999, he went to the Utah State Prison for a term of up to 15 years for the unprovoked slaying of another man outside a Midvale convenience store.
The then-19-year-old Cabibi told relatives of his victims that for three days and nights before he shot 21-year-old Arcides Saldigan, he had been high on methamphetamine. Cabibi entered a Maverick Store at 20 S. Main St., Midvale, about 2:30 a.m. on July 11, 1998, to buy a hot dog. The victim and several friends — who had been celebrating his upcoming wedding — had come to the store to purchase beer, but were turned away because it was after hours.
Moments later, Cabibi began firing a handgun at the victim and his friends as Cabibi drove from the parking lot. Saldigan, who was getting into his car, was struck twice in the back and died in the arms of his brother. After his arrest, Cabibi told a cellmate at the Salt Lake County Jail there was an altercation over a parking spot. Prosecutors in 1999 argued there was no confrontation and Cabibi killed his victim in cold blood.
Cabibi was released from prison on parole for the murder on Sept. 16, 2008, said Utah Board of Pardons and Parole spokesman Jim Hatch. But he quickly returned for a series of parole violations, before he was released again on July 14, 2009, Hatch said.
Cabibi behaved violently yet again the night of the JCAT operation.
JCAT officers did not fire on Cabibi after the man shot Gerber, a move that Thompson calls remarkable given the dangerous circumstances surrounding the officers. Marshals received a thank you letter from a neighbor at the apartment complex, grateful that more bullets didn't fly during the situation, Thompson said.
Gerber had to undergo a six-hour operation to repair damage from the gunshot wound in the leg, but recovered.
Cabibi in March was indicted in federal court for attempting to kill Gerber. He is awaiting trial on three felony assault on a federal officer, discharging a firearm during a crime of violence and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. If convicted, Cabibi faces up to 20 years in federal prison for the assault charge. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison for the discharging a firearm charge and an additional 10 years in prison for being a felon in possession of the gun.
Thompson said Addison deserves credit for helping his wounded colleague.
"Terry has been hailed as an expert in his field and a valuable asset by his superiors and yet he is the humblest, most rock-solid cop/firefighter that I have ever met," Thompson said.
"I knew that [Gerber] received the best possible emergency medical treatment."