LONG BEACH : Police Officer Cited for Heroism Dies of Cancer
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A Long Beach police officer who recently won the prestigious Medal of Valor award and is the target of a police brutality lawsuit has died of cancer, authorities reported Monday.
Officer James M. Hill, 42, died Friday night at St. Mary’s Hospital in Long Beach.
Hill recently won the department’s highest award for heroism after risking his life to save a child. He also was named as one of three defendants in a lawsuit being heard in federal court. Two concert-goers claim that Hill and other police officers assaulted them while trying to break up a melee after a rock concert in 1988.
The 16-year-veteran of the department is survived by his wife, Dianne, and two young daughters. Funeral services are scheduled for Thursday at Our Lady of Refuge Roman Catholic Church in Long Beach.
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