CITIZENS AWARD OF VALOR

MARK HOFFERT

Citizen of Detroit

March 13, 2007, an active shooter incident took place at the Michigan Department of Corrections Office, 5300 Lawton, Detroit.  The gunman, Kenneth Clark, had fired several shots inside the building, wounding several people.  Clark then left the building and began shooting into a parked vehicle occupied by three men.  Mr. Mark Hoffert witnessed this last assault and began following Clark as he fled the scene.

Mr. Hoffert—driving his own car—followed Clark, who had entered a vehicle and driven away.   Mr. Hoffert, following Clark at a distance, called 911 by cell phone to report the suspect’s whereabouts.  Clark, recognizing he was being followed, stopped three separate times, exited his vehicle, and fired multiple shots at Hoffert.  Mr. Hoffert, undeterred, continued the surveillance and continuance location reports until Clark stopped and parked his car.  Mr. Hoffert’s location reports were broadcast by radio to the responding officers, who found Clark and his vehicle at the last-reported location.  Clark was arrested, charged with multiple felonies, and lodged.   

Mr. Mark Hoffert displayed extreme courage and selfless heroism, while under duress and life-threatening conditions, by guiding police to the exact location the shooter had stopped and could be captured  His quick thinking and bravery were responsible for the quick apprehension of one of our society’s most dangerous threats—the active shooter. For this, Mr. Hoffert is awarded the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police’s Citizens Award of Valor.  

CITIZENS AWARD OF VALOR

MISS ALEXIA PARKER

Citizen of the City of Detroit

December 2, 2007, Alexia Parker, her mother, Selethia Parker, and Aisha Ford, were at the Ford home, preparing to leave when they were approached by a gun-wielding Calvin Tillie.   Tillie, armed with a blue steel semi-automatic pistol, forced all three victims into Mrs. Ford’s SUV and instructed Ford to drive to a specified location or she would be killed.  Thinking quickly and looking for a means to defuse the situation, Mrs. Ford told Tillie the car needed gas.  Tillie threw a $10.00 bill at Mrs. Ford and told her to buy only $5.00 worth.

Mrs. Ford stopped at a self-serve gas station on Seven Mile and walked into the building to purchase $5.00 worth of fuel.  While doing so, Mrs. Ford called 911 on her cell phone and summoned help; then returned to pump the gasoline.  Mrs. Ford could hear yelling inside the car as Tillie was threatening the Parkers.  Mrs. Ford went back into the store to solicit immediate help, and upon returning to the vehicle, saw Tillie shoot Selethia Parker in the head. Selethia Parker, although wounded, was able to fight with Tillie until he shot her in the arm.  Then, in an attempt to save her mother’s life and protect her from further injury, eight-year-old Alexia Parker attacked Tillie by jumping onto him.  Tillie, being of superior size and strength, was able to fend Alexia off and cold-bloodedly shoot her six times with his pistol.  As Alexia fell, her mother, Selethia, was able to resume her struggle, keeping Tillie in the vehicle until the police arrived and arrested him.

All three victims displayed extreme courage and fortitude while threatened with certain death.  Eight-year-old Alexia Parker, faced with overwhelming odds—but with the heart of a giant—took on her mother’s attacker, saving both their lives while almost sacrificing her own.  For this, Alexia Parker is awarded the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police’s Citizens Award of Valor.