Fresno officer receives California's Medal of Valor for ambush response
Shot multiple times at a Fresno homicide scene, Sgt. George Imirian kept chasing the suspect and called for help before collapsing from blood loss.
A Fresno police sergeant who was shot multiple times during an ambush response kept moving, kept pursuing the gunman and still called for help for both men before collapsing from blood loss. Gavin Newsom later recognized Sergeant George Imirian with California’s Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor, the state’s highest honor for valor for public safety officers.
The attack happened Oct. 26, 2024, after Imirian responded to reports of gunfire and a homicide scene in Fresno, including the area around 8th and Platt streets. Local accounts identified the homicide victim as 43-year-old Mario Ternora and the suspect as 40-year-old Andy Morales. Police said Morales returned to the scene and opened fire on Imirian’s patrol vehicle, striking the sergeant multiple times. Even after being hit, Imirian pursued and engaged the suspect and then called for medical assistance for himself and for Morales before collapsing. Fresno Police Chief Mindy Casto said Morales repeatedly repositioned himself during the ambush to keep shooting and avoid being hit, a detail that points to the apparent intent to kill.
Newsom presented the medal on June 16 to Imirian and Officer Adam Yu of the Long Beach Police Department, the only two public safety officers among 38 Californians honored in the ceremony. The other 36 received the Governor’s State Employee Medal of Valor. California created the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor under legislation signed in 2003, and nominations are submitted by agencies, then reviewed by the California Department of Justice and the Medal of Valor Review Board for a single act of valor within the preceding calendar year.
Fresno police had already publicly honored Imirian at a March 5, 2025 commendations and awards ceremony after the ambush. He was shot multiple times in the legs and spent a few days in the hospital recovering. For Fresno and the Valley, the medal is a reminder that the most serious police work can unfold in seconds, in public, and at close range, with officers expected to protect others even when they themselves are under fire.
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