Late one afternoon last December, Peter Anderson was biking home from classes when he heard gunfire.

He turned and saw campus police officers standing near an individual at a grassy area outside Regan Hall. Shortly beforehand, the suspect -- Martin Louie Castro Soriano - had been acting "bizarrely" and speaking incoherently, prompting eyewitnesses to call 911. When police arrived, they say Soriano brandished a handgun and fired at them, getting hit in the return fire.

"It sounded like firecrackers at first," Anderson said, "then I looked over and saw someone lying on the ground." Anderson, 38, and a student at the Davis campus of Sacramento City College, told police he had training as an emergency medical technician and offered assistance. He administered first aid to the suspect as the officers waited for the paramedics to arrive. The suspect -- not a UC Davis student -- would die, marking the campus's first ever fatal police shooting.

For his act of courage, Anderson received recognition Feb. 11 along with six other university employees and area residents at the 12th annual Citizens Appreciation Awards Ceremony. The luncheon was held by the UC Davis Police Department at the Courtyard Marriott in Sacramento.

Anderson's nomination noted that he never hesitated to use his medical skills that afternoon, despite not knowing what had just happened and if it was still a "dangerous situation."

Once paramedics got there, Anderson stayed and waited more than an hour as authorities secured the site. Police Capt. Leslie Brown said of him, "his actions are easily described as heroic." His willingness to "help officers and his patience and calm in a chaotic situation are to be commended," she added.

Other appreciation award winners include:

Sue Gilmore

On Dec. 20, 2004, police officers responded to a report of a woman beating a disabled person in a wheelchair at 4860 Y St. It was determined that the man was mentally and physically handicapped -- and the woman was his mother. She was arrested, but the victim needed a place to live.

Sue Gilmore, the principal of the McClaskey Adult Center in Sacramento, offered to provide a place for the victim to stay. Her nomination highlighted the police unit's appreciation for Gilmore's ability to meet this urgent need and to "care for and assist a segment of our community that often has a great number of special needs not easily met."

Pat Schrag

Pat Schrag, an analyst at the medical center, collaborated with the police department in recent years in the hiring of protective service officers to supplement the main police force. She also helped with other program improvements, such as procuring new equipment. In particular, her efforts ensured better evidence processing and a higher quality prevention program for the medical center.

"Pat looked beyond her own workload," her nomination read, "and worked with our senior managers on a variety of funding scenarios that were amenable to the medical center and met the police department's needs."

Gregg Tawney and Lucillano Oliva

Sgt. Tawney, a K-9 trainer from the Placerville Police Department, and Oliva, a private K-9 consultant, provided free training services last year to the UC Davis Police Department's K-9 program. The program not only helps in tracking down suspects, but also is used for locating lost items and people, in detecting explosive devices and has been used for bomb sweeps.

David Morgan

On Nov. 11, 2004, the UC Davis Fire Department responded to a fire at a Russell Park dwelling. Upon arriving, they found the remains of a smoldering towel in a metal bowl outside the structure. David Morgan, who had been at Russell Park with a friend, had removed the bowl after noticing smoke inside another apartment unit.

"While Morgan didn't consider his actions anything out of the ordinary," his nomination stated, "his swift action and willingness to get involved kept a small incident from growing into a larger one." Morgan, who is a member of the Air Force Reserves, is now on active duty in Iraq.

Josh Freilich

When a UC Davis police officer recently responded to a call at the Emergency Room at the medical center, he was struck by an unruly patient. Josh Freilich, an emergency room charge nurse, jumped to restrain the patient, applying a "wrap restraint device." Freilich also was recognized last year for helping an officer wrestle to the floor an agitated man with a very high blood alcohol concentration in June 2003.

His award nomination for 2004 pointed out, "While it is not any police department's intent to call on citizens for this type of support, Josh is always ready and willing to assist the officers on their calls in the Emergency Room."

Other honors recognized at the luncheon included the Master 10851VC Award to Officer Javier Barragan, for recovering 60 stolen vehicles in five years; 2004 Officers of the Year, Sgt. Paul Henoch and Sgt. Lisa Black; and 2004 Police Employee of the Year, Debra Svoboda, a records technician. The Calvin E. Handy Award, in its first year, was given to Calvin Handy, recently retired as the UC Davis police chief.

The bonds of community were highlighted throughout the event. In presenting the awards, Interim Police Chief Rita Spaur recalled a quote from the Dalai Lama, who once said, "Without the human community, one human being cannot survive."