A group of police officers who rushed to the scene of a deadly shooting last August and tried to save the lives of two young boys were recognized for their efforts during a ceremony on Thursday.
The event was held at the Kansas City Regional Police Academy to honor police officers who rose above and beyond the call of duty.
Last August, 8-year-old Montell Ross and 9-year-old Jayden Ugwuh were shot and killed during an overnight shooting on College Avenue.
Montell's mother, Aishah Coppage, told 41 Action News on Thursday that she can still remember when the terror began.
"We were woken up by kids screaming, 'Momma, momma,'" she explained. "One of the other kids, Jayden's older brother, was screaming, 'My brother, my brother.'"
With panic and fear filling the household moments after the shooting, Coppage could think of only one thing.
"My first thing was somebody help my baby," she said. "My husband ran outside to see if it was a drive-by. We didn't even pay attention to the window that was shot out."
Help soon arrived in the form of at least six police officers.
After Jayden was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance, Coppage can remember one of the officers cradling Montell as he clung to life waiting for more emergency crews to arrive.
The officer then rushed Montell to the hospital using his own police cruiser.
"I really was blown away because he didn't have to do that," she explained. "He stated that he had kids and he just couldn't sit there and watch my son suffer."
Montell later passed away at the hospital, but Coppage was thankful he received help after the tragic shooting.
"Just to know that my son wasn't alone, that he was cradled, means a lot," she told 41 Action News. "The officer didn't just leave him there and consider him dead."
On Thursday, the officers were awarded Certificates of Commendation for their efforts.
One of the special certificates went to Officer Belkis Cisneros, who helped comfort other children inside the home following the violence.
"All I kept saying was, 'You're going to be OK. I'm here for you. Anything you need I will be there for you. Don't worry, you're going to be fine,'" she explained.
As a mother of two children who are similar in age to Jayden and Montell, she wanted to make sure they felt safe.
"Seeing two kids being shot and most likely not going to make it, it's the worst thing," she explained. "Any call that I go to that involves children, automatically my motherly side comes out."
While pain still very much remains for Coppage following last year's tragedy, she continues to be grateful for the efforts from the police officers.
She has yet to meet any of them, but she plans to say words from the heart when she gets the opportunity.
"I would just say, 'Thank you'," she explained. "I would tell them, 'Thank you for going the extra mile.'"
Multiple other officers received special recognition on Thursday, including the team that responded after missing woman Toni Anderson's car was found in the Missouri River earlier this year.
The killing of Jayden Ugwuh and Montell Ross still remains unsolved.
Anyone with information on the case or a possible suspect is asked to call 816-474-TIPS.
