By NEIL ZOLOT
WAKEFIELD — Based on actions in a domestic dispute in 2021, detectives Chris Grace and John Ryan were honored in a brief ceremony Sunday afternoon at the Lower Common through the donation of a horse to the Chicago Police Department by the Horses and Heroes Foundation.
“It’s an honor” Ryan said.
Grace added, “It’s an honor for us to be picked out of all the police officers in the area.”
“To have something like this happen is special,” Police Chief Steven Skory said. “We know this is a difficult and often thankless job, but we continue to do it. Hopefully this can bring some closure to the town. It was a sad day in Wakefield,” a reference to events of January 19, 2021 when Grace and Ryan were confronted by a knife wielding Timothy Martin, accused of killing his mother Pamela Wood. Faced with a potentially lethal threat, they shot but did not kill Martin. A subsequent investigation by the Middlesex County District Attorney’s office found “circumstances surrounding the shooting revealed, in the totality of the circumstances, detective Grace was reasonable in his belief he and detective Ryan and possibly other officers with them were in imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury. Further, Grace was reasonable in his belief there were no other means available to them to protect their lives other than by discharging rounds from his department-issued service weapon.”
Neither officer had any comment on the incident.
In 2021, School Superintendent Doug Lyons called Wood “a beloved staff member at the Greenwood School and Doyle Early Childhood Center and a vibrant and integral part of the school community.”
Skory also mentioned the names of other officers involved, including Kevin McCaul, Scott Reboulet, Meaghan Roberto, Ken Silva and Kelley Tobyne. Silva said Grace and Ryan “did an amazing job that day. They’re great police officers.”
“They exemplify our workforce,” Town Councilor John Carney agreed.
The horse will be named Wakefield Strong, the first to be named after a community rather than a specific officer.
“Every single day, across our country, men and women leave their homes and families so they might protect the lives of people they’ve never met,” Horses and Heroes Foundation representative Skylar Mullvaney said. “It’s hard to think of a more selfless profession. They are good stewards serving their neighbors and communities with courage, fortitude and strength. How tough it must be to override the natural human instinct for self-preservation and run towards danger as others are running away. Horses serve as living tributes, ensuring the continued remembrance of law enforcement personnel for their remarkable bravery, including those who have given their lives in the line of duty. “Detectives Grace and Ryan and the men and women of the Wakefield Police Department are part of this bond. We look to people like you for protection when tragedy strikes and thank you for giving us the sense of security we enjoy often at the expense of your own safety.”
Grace and Ryan also received the George Hanna Medal of Honor from the state Executive Office of Public Safety “in recognition of their outstanding bravery.”
Hanna was shot and killed during a traffic stop in Auburn in 1983.
Mullvaney said the award “is conferred on police officers who have exhibited exceptional conduct beyond their standard duties when confronted with significant and immediate threats to their personal safety.”
Wakefield Strong will be headed for Chicago to join 30 other horses there November 12. In the meantime he will be housed in Westwood.