Officer David Stinsman is credited with saving the life of a woman and a baby by disarming her husband, who shot her in the throat.
CAMDEN -- A Camden County police officer who is credited with fatally shooting a man before he could kill his wife or the baby she was holding will be honored for exemplary police work at a Thursday ceremony.
Officer David Stinsman, who was placed on administrative leave following the shooting, will receive the honor Thursday afternoon at the Campbell Soup Company, the police department announced. His name was not previously released in relation to the shooting.
Stinsman is one of several officers receiving honors from the department and Board of Freeholders for their work as "community builders and guardians."
"We have officers who, every day, live up to the creed of our department - Service Before Self - and routinely put themselves in harm's way to protect Camden residents," Police Chief J. Scott Thomson said in a release. "It is important that we recognize the tremendous work they do."
Stinsman responded to a domestic violence report on Federal Street in Camden on Jan. 11. There, he found 38-year-old Jose Antonio Fernandez-Ventura armed and pointing the gun at his wife, who was holding an 8-month-old baby, police said.
Cops rush woman to ER in cruiser after shooting
Fernandez-Ventura then allegedly fired the weapon, hitting the woman in the throat. Stinsman fired his weapon at Ventura to disarm him, and then began providing aid to both with gunshot wounds, police said. The baby was not harmed.
Both the shooter and his wife were taken to Cooper University Hospital for treatment. Fernandez-Ventura died as a result of his injuries the following week, but the woman has since made a full recovery, according to police.
At Thursday's ceremony, the department will also honor Officers Daniel Fiori, Joseph Olivo, and Alexander Rodriguez, who pulled a man trying to commit suicide from the Delaware River, as well as Officer Ronald Lehm, who assisted a victim of sexual assault after her attacker slit her throat.
"The officers and civilian employees of the Camden County Police Department have consistently gone above and beyond the call of duty and have admirably embodied themselves as guardians on the street," Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli, Jr. said in the release. "We recognize them for their contributions to this organization and thank them for the positive impact that have had on this city."
Amanda Hoover can be reached at ahoover@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @amahoover. Find NJ.com on Facebook.