Cape officer honored for role at slaying scene - Silko credited with saving lives at double homicide
By Rachel Myers, rmyers@news-press.com
The News-Press, August 11, 2006
Cape Coral, Florida - The Cape Coral police officer who fired his gun June 23 at the scene of a double homicide was awarded a Medal of Valor on Thursday and named Officer of the Month.
Josh Silko said he was overwhelmed to receive the medal. Silko, 23, was the first officer to arrive at 1021 Southwest 18th Terrace after a 911 call from Amy Ciesla, 27. When he arrived, police said, he heard gunshots inside the home. Ciesla's estranged husband, Thomas Ciesla, 28, a former Collier County corrections officer, had killed his wife's father, Thomas Podejko, 63, and aunt Carol Lindner, 62, before turning a gun on himself, police said. Ciesla was unharmed and her uncle, Thomas Lindner, 62, escaped with a gunshot to the arm.
Police said Silko fired one shot at Thomas Ciesla. The shot missed, but police said his bravery saved the lives of Amy Ciesla and Thomas Lindner. He was placed on paid leave while the state attorney's office investigated, but has been back on active duty for some time, police spokeswoman Dyan Zedeker said.
The Medal of Valor is the department's second-highest honor. "Upon arrival, Officer Silko heard gunshots coming from inside the home," Zedeker wrote in a release. "He moved toward the threat, despite the inherent danger." Silko is the fifth officer in the department's history to have fired a gun at a person. Although his personnel file doesn't contain any performance reviews, Silko was considered an exemplary candidate when he was hired July 18, 2005. Sgt. Quentin Robinson, of the police department in Lafayette, Ind., where Silko did a summer internship in 2004, described him as, "smart, serious, respectful and motivated." Zedeker said the full report on the shootings hasn't been released because police are waiting for the medical examiner's report.
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