The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) has selected Detective Richard Golgart, of the Las Vegas Metropolitan (NV) Police Department, as the recipient of its Officer of the Month Award for February 2018.
Late in the evening on October 1, 2017, as concertgoers in Las Vegas prepared to watch the final act at a music festival, gunshots rained down from above. A gunman was perched from a window at the nearby Mandalay Bay hotel, shooting more than 900 people, killing 58 of them.
Fortunately, many heroes were present at this event, as people rushed to save others who were injured. Among them was Las Vegas Metropolitan (NV) Police Department Detective Richard Golgart who was attending the concert with his 18-year-old daughter, Riley. Det. Golgart and his daughter were separated during the melee, but she was able to call him to assure him that she was safe. Knowing Riley was fine, Det. Golgart started to gather some of the injured to help transport them to the hospital in his personal truck.
While on his way to the hospital, Det. Golgart received another call from Riley. In fact, she had been shot in the spine. Facing an impossible situation, the detective made the choice to continue to the hospital and save those who were with him before going back to his daughter.
Luckily, two men helped Riley to a medical tent and an off-duty firefighter was there to help Det. Golgart transport his daughter to the hospital when he came back for her. She was then flown to Denver to receive treatment for her injury and continues to make strides in her recovery.
“The courage displayed by Police Detective Golgart in collecting and transporting injured persons while under fire was overshadowed by the courage of a father to put the needs of the public before the needs of himself and his daughter,” said Russell A. Wood, vice chairman of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Managers and Supervisors Association.
“When you think about the sacrifices law enforcement officers make daily, you never think about having to choose between performing their duties and protecting their own families,” Memorial Fund Chief Executive Officer Craig W. Floyd said. “Thankfully, others were able to help Det. Golgart’s daughter so that he could save the lives of those in his truck. He displayed courage in the worst of circumstances and for that, we are honored to present him with the Memorial Fund’s Officer of the Month Award for February 2018.”
Detective Golgart, along with the other Officer of the Month Award recipients for 2018, will be honored at a special awards ceremony in Washington, DC, in 2019.