When Sergeant Leon Fisher and Constable Kevin Lewars were called to duty in the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) on April 28, 2018 in St James, they had no idea they would be involved in a two-hour gun battle with Jamaica’s most wanted man, they also certainly did not know they would be given a Medal of Honour for Gallantry for taking down such a formidable opponent.

Sergeant Fisher and Constable Lewars were awarded on Monday during the National Honours and Awards ceremony at King’s House in St Andrew.

Fisher gleefully expressed how shocked he was to learn that he was being given this prestigious award.

“I was happy, I wasn’t even sure. I had to make some calls to make sure it was happening,” he said.

Recalling the incident he said the most dominant thought running through his mind was not to die.

Despite being shot by Nico Samuels, the lawmen, along with his colleagues made the conscious decision to use their bodies as human shields to assist people, including an 18-month-old baby, out of the nearby apartments. Samuels was killed during the shoot-out.

Constable Lewars said that it feels good to know that the efforts that he and colleagues put in have been recognised.

When he spoke of the incident, the lawman stated that his training took over and he knew he would take action.

“When everything was happening, training took over. At the time one of the main things was to get Sergeant Fisher, who was shot and was bleeding, out of harm's way, but it took us a while because we were under fire,” he said.

“In the interim, we did what we had to do to repel the threat and it is just unfortunate that instead of giving up, this person decided he wanted to go out in a blaze of glory,” he added.

Sending a message to individuals who are thinking of joining the rank of the JCF, Lewars said: “The JCF is a noble organisation. It is rooted in tradition and we have some very exemplary persons serving, so don’t let it be a situation where you’re thinking of joining the JCF because you don’t have another option, join because you want to serve because it is a job to serve and protect and reassure the persons.”

Fisher and Lewars pledged to continue doing good work as they serve their country.