Milton officer recognized for quick response

It was just before 3 a.m. Nov. 24, when Milton Police Lt. Derrick Harvey got the call: shots fired on Palmer Street.

When Harvey got to the Palmer Street parking lot of Park Royal Apartments, he found a car, its doors ajar in the rain.

Inside he found two victims; both had been shot.

Harvey quickly administered what first aid he could. One victim, 20-year-old Rogelio “Chico” Martinez-Hernandez suffered a gunshot wound to the head and appeared lifeless, but Harvey did what he could for the second victim, 14-year-old Marlon Martinez-Hernandez.

Capt. John Cornwell said Harvey's quick actions saved the teen's life and led to the arrest of a suspect now in jail facing murder charges.

Cornwell honored Harvey's swift, efficient actions by presenting a Distinguished Service Award during the Dec. 15 Milton Town Council Meeting, which drew a standing ovation from the mayor, council members and public in attendance.

Cornwell said it took Delaware State Police 12 minutes to arrive at the scene. If Harvey had not been on duty that night, the second victim may have died and Delaware State Police may have had an unsolved homicide on their hands, Cornwell said.

“It's been a while since anything like that has happened in this area,” Cornwell said. “He was critical in the solving of that crime.”