The brave police officer who single-handedly killed four of the five terrorists responsible for the deadly attack in Cambrils, Spain last week is being hailed a hero by colleagues and government officials alike. According to reports, the officer, whose identity is being withheld for his protection, was not supposed to be on duty on Friday but picked up an extra shift in an effort to provide for his family.
A member of the Mossos d’Esquadra, the Catalan police force, the officer has gained international attention after it came to light that he personally shot dead four of the jihadists who crashed into a police checkpoint in the seaside town brandishing axes and knives early Friday morning. The attack, which claimed the life of one woman, has been linked to the earlier terrorist attack in Barcelona, in which a driver plowed his car into innocent bystanders, killing 13 people and injuring more than 100.
As it turns out, the sharpshooting officer spent time serving in the Spanish army’s elite infantry unit the Legion, where he received extensive firearms training. But as Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported, those who work alongside the husband and father describe him as “very quiet, not the Rambo prototype of an elite officer.” His day-to-day responsibilities include community policing, offering advice to local shopkeepers and talking to schoolchildren about safety.
During a visit to the police station in Cambrils on Friday, it is believed the president of the regional government in Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, personally thanked the officer. His colleagues, meanwhile, erupted in a spontaneous round of applause. Though it is impossible to predict what could have happened on Friday, it is believed his quick thinking saved dozens of lives.
“He’s a quiet man who does not consider himself a hero,” a source told the Daily Mail. “He says he was just doing his job. But the truth is he saved a great many lives.”
(H/T: New York Post)