Meath native police officer's bravery award in Colorado

A Dunshaughlin native working as a police officer in Colorado has been awarded a Distinguished Service Award for his role in a hostage situation involving a shoot-out in the town of West Vail. Greg Daly, originally from Lagore, was in charge of the special operations unit which stormed a shooting scene last November. He is one of 14 SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) team members who were awarded the Eagle County Public Safety Council's highest honour, the Distinguished Service Award. Lieutenant Daly is based in Avon Police Department and, as effective deputy chief, assumes command of the police department in the absence of the Chief of Police. Last November, one victim, Dr Bruce Kitching, died, and three others were wounded, in the dramatic shooting incident. It was a very busy night, Lt Daly recalled this week. "We were dealing with a barricaded, suicidal male, possibly with two guns, and we get a separate call of an 'active shooter' at a bar in West Vail, approximately six miles away," he said. This man had shot four people, killing one. "We responded, and as team leader, I ordered my team into the bar. We saved four civilians, including the wife of the deceased, Dr Bruce Kitching, who were hiding in the bar. We apprehended the shooter and he is being tried in September for multiple charges, including first degree murder." The team then returned to Avon and successfully got the suicidal male into protective custody using an armoured vehicle and a bomb robot. At the recent awards ceremony, Lt Daly acknowledged all the other first responders who put themselves in harm's way that night. He called Dr Kitching "the biggest hero of the night". Greg Daly said: "Even though he knew shots were being fired, he came running back in to save his wife." The county commissioners were passionate in their praise for the team, thanking them for being prepared and protecting the community at large. A son of Anne and Noel Daly, he attended Dunshaughlin National School and St Patrick's Classical School, Navan, which he left in 1986. He graduated from University College, Dublin, with a degree in financial services and worked with Bank of Ireland for 12 years. He moved to Colorado in 1994 to experience the 'ski life'. He then decided that his vocation was police work, and attended the CLETA Police Academy in August 1995. He joined the Eagle County Sheriff's Office (ECSO) in April 1996. "I worked for six months and, rather than lose my wife, I returned to Ireland after six months," he explained. "I was then a reserve for the ECSO for five-and-a-half years, returning from 10 days to three weeks per year to work as a policeman here. I was a ski cop on the slopes during the day, and then driving around in a patrol car at night. I worked the 1999 World Ski Championships here and spoke with the Irish skier at the finish line, which was picked up by the Irish Independent at the time," he added. He returned to Colorado in 2002 and worked with the Sheriff's Office for a further six years. He worked as a patrol deputy, a field training officer, a SWAT team operator, fitness co-ordinator, defensive tactics instructor and then became a patrol sergeant in 2006. He earned four commendations in that period. In July 2008, he was posted to Avon to fill the new position of police lieutenant. He has been a team leader with the Eagle County Sheriff's Special Operations Unit for many years.