A 911 dispatcher from northeast Iowa and two area residents are being honored for their efforts during an incident last November. A suspect in a shooting at a grocery store in Monticello was spotted in nearby Hopkinton, and Delaware County Deputy Matt Menard fired shots when taking the man into custody.
Jessica Kelly says in her 17 years as a dispatcher, she’s never had a call quite as chaotic.
“I would say it was a little bit intense, especially when Matt yelled ‘Shots fired!’ but you don’t know who’s shot and then he’s not answering because he’s busy with the situation,” Kelly says. “Waiting for somebody to respond, the unknown, because you can’t see what’s going on, but you just keep doing your thing, getting a helicopter in the air and ambulances going and other help sent that way.”
Kelly is being awarded the Delaware County Medal of Merit for how she handled the information and radio traffic from six different agencies and emergency medical services. Manchester Police Chief Jim Hauschild nominated Kelly for the award, saying she calmly handled the situation with professionalism.
“I’ve seen some really good dispatchers and she is definitely one of the best I’ve ever worked with,” Hauschild says. “I mean that was a lot to take care of, and throw on top of that the emotions, that you know who’s there and what’s going on. That makes it even more challenging. She did an awesome job.”
Scott Fjelstul and Nick Bossard of Hopkinton
Two Hopkinton residents are also being recognized for their actions that day. Scott Fjelstul and Nick Bossard saw a car that was out of place and approached it, only to find a man sleeping in the front seat and an AR-15 rifle in the back seat. Bossard says they backed away and called the authorities, but stayed nearby to keep an eye on the car.
“I just did the part that you’re supposed to, just being alert and doing what you should have done,” Bossard says. “Pay attention to your surroundings and do the right thing. I mean, that’s what I guess it all boils down to. We just did what we were supposed to do that day. We didn’t really go above and beyond what anybody else should have ever done. It’s just what you’re supposed to do as far as being a good citizen.”
Fjelstul says they didn’t realize it was the suspect from the Monticello shooting until shots were fired.
“I don’t think we did anything extraordinary,” Fjelstul says. “We both live in a small town. We noticed something that wasn’t right and we decided to check it out.”
Fjelstul and Bossard are being presented with the Delaware County Citizen Recognition Award. A few weeks ago, Deputy Menard was awarded the county’s first Medal of Valor for his bravery.
(By Janelle Tucker, KMCH, Manchester)