BUCKHANNON — Two Upshur County officials will receive the Medal of Valor during a ceremony in Charleston on Wednesday.
Upshur County Sheriff Mike Coffman and Upshur County Emergency Management/Homeland Security Deputy Director Derek Long will receive the awards from Gov. Jim Justice and officials from the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security.
The medals recognize the heroic efforts of Coffman and Long during a standoff in Lewis County on June 16, 2022. Coffman, then the chief deputy, was shot in the leg while responding to an active shooter incident on I-79 near Exit 99.
Long was coming back from Clarksburg when he came upon the incident as it unfolded and was one of the first witnesses to call 911 for help. Read My Buckhannon’s original coverage of the incident by clicking here.
According to a media advisory, the Medal of Valor honors those who have “distinguished themselves conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of their lives above and beyond the call of duty in the performance of their duties.”
In addition to Coffman and Long, Sergeant David S. Fry will also receive a Medal of Valor. Fry was shot and wounded while responding to a domestic situation in Lincoln County in March 2017, according to this MetroNews story. The recipients were also recognized in a State Senate resolution.
The ceremony will be held at the West Virginia State Culture Center Theater in Charleston on Wednesday, March 6, at 1 p.m. It can be live-streamed by clicking here.
