The three Gilroy Police officers who took down the gunman at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in 2019 were awarded the State of California Governor’s Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor.
Robert Basuino, Eric Cryar and Hugo Del Moral recently received the medals from Assistant Chief John Marsh of the California Department of Justice, Division of Law Enforcement.
The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office found that the three officers acted lawfully when they fired multiple shots at the 19-year-old suspect.
“Under the facts and applicable law in this matter, Detective Cryar, Officer Basuino and Officer Del Moral quite reasonably believed that they needed to use deadly force to protect innocent lives, and their own, from Santino Legan’s violent rampage,” reads the DA’s report, compiled by Deputy DA Robert Baker and released in March 2020. “Placing themselves, literally, in the line of fire to stop a mass murderer undoubtedly saved lives and prevented further bloodshed. In light of the grave circumstances of this case, their actions were unquestionably lawful and justified.”
The City of Gilroy plans to live stream a virtual ceremony honoring the officers on Jan. 25 at 3:15pm.
