Four local officers were recognized for their use of Tasers to defuse a dangerous situation, law enforcement officials said.

Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson and Rossville Police Chief Sid Adams said four law enforcement officers — two Walker County deputies and two Rossville police officers — were selected to receive the John H. Cover Life Saver Medal for using non-lethal force to safely end a dangerous, life-threatening situation last November in Rossville.

Adams and Wilson presented Walker deputies Burt Cagle and Tim Perkins, along with Rossville police officers Ed Massengale and Billy Davis, with the Cover Medal for Life Saving Thursday in LaFayette.

An armed robbery suspect retreated to a mobile home on Ellis Road, Wilson said. Rossville officer was on the scene requesting backup when the suspect said he would shoot any officer that entered the trailer.

Deputy Cagle arrived on the scene and entered the residence where the suspect was threatening to shoot himself, Wilson said. Cagle aimed the Taser at the suspect, who said “Go ahead and shoot me. Shoot me.”

So Cagle shot him with the Taser, which dropped him to the ground and prevented any gunfire, Wilson said.

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Group photo: From left, Walker County sheriff’s deputy Tim Perkins, Walker Sheriff Steve Wilson, Walker deputy Burt Cagle, Rossville police officer Ed Massengale, Rossville Police Chief Sid Adams, and Rossville officer Billy Davis. (Messenger photos/Matt Ledger)

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“It was better than the alternative,” Cagle said, alluding to the use of a handgun.

“These officers’ actions honor and exemplify the greatest values of public service,” he said.

John H. Cover is the inventor of the Taser. Taser International is a leading provider of non-lethal weapons to more than 7,000 law enforcement agencies worldwide. Named to honor his life saving work, the Cover Medal is awarded to law enforcement officers who commit a heroic act with a Taser device, saving a life or averting the potential for a life-threatening injury.

The award was bestowed on Davis in 2003 just after the Tasers were purchased in Walker County. During that incident, an elderly man with Alzeimer’s disease rushed at Davis with a butcher knife.

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