BATON ROUGE -- Eight law enforcement officers and one police dog who died in the line of duty in 2023 were honored with Louisiana's Law Enforcement Medal of Honor at the old State Capitol building Wednesday.

Their fellow officers and loved ones accepted the medals, a plaque, and a folded American flag in their honor.

The Law Enforcement Medal of Honor was established by the Louisiana Legislature in 1997. Since its inception, 152 officers and six K-9 honorees have received the medal. 

Four of Wednesday's recipients served in and around the Capitol area, having served in the Baton Rouge, Denham Springs, and Saint Francisville Police Departments. 

Two of those officers were from the BRPD. 

Cpl. Scotty Canezaro and Sgt. David Poirrier died in March 2023 when their police helicopter crashed into a cane field off U.S. 190 near Erwinville in West Baton Rouge Parish. 

The officers were assisting in a vehicle pursuit and crashed at about 2:30 a.m.

Poirrier had worked for the department for 17 years, and Canezaro had been their 16 years. 

"Both were amazing, not only [as] police officers, but fathers and family members. It was an honor to be here with them and their families today," Baton Rouge Police Chief TJ Morse said.

Canezaro's widow, Chelsea, accepted the medal on his behalf. 
"He was so much fun to be around. Always had something funny to say, and just, everybody loved him. He was just a great guy to be around and hang out with," Canezaro said. 

Denham Springs Police Cpl. Shawn Kelly was also honored at the ceremony. 

Kelly died in June 2023 three weeks after being shot repeatedly while handling a domestic dispute in a shopping center parking lot.

Kelly had served in law enforcement for nearly 30 years. 

"One of the things I like to tell people a lot is that one day in my office, he told me that he just wanted to see the Denham Springs Police Department get better, and he strived to do that every day, and he really meant that," Denham Springs Police Chief Rodney Walker said. 

Saint Francisville Police Officer Carl Douglas Kimball was also honored at the event.

Kimball, who joined the department a decade after retiring from the Department of Corrections, contracted COVID-19 while working as a night guard at the West Feliciana Hospital. He was 72 years old. 

The Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement was the organization behind the event. They told WBRZ they always hope they never have to host the event because if they don't, it means no officers died in the line of duty.