DOVER - When Keith Hoffer recently fired a gun during a night training session, muzzle sparks reminded him of the day he had to kill a man.
Lt. Hoffer, a Department of Correction officer, had never had to shoot a man before a rainy July day last year.
"And I hope I never do again," he said.
Lt. Hoffer led a five-man Correction Emergency Rescue Team that rescued prison counselor Cassandra Arnold July 12 at Delaware Correctional Center near Smyrna.
Inmate Scott A. Miller had taken her hostage and raped her during a seven-hour standoff.
Hiding in an adjacent room, Lt. Hoffer shot and killed Miller when the inmate attempted to stab the 27-year-old counselor.
The 25-year DOC veteran was honored Wednesday with the Governor's Award for Excellence and Commitment in State Service.
Lt. Hoffer said a mixture of adrenaline and fright ran through him during the standoff.
"It was an awful situation to be in," he said.
"When the moment came where I knew I had to make that split-second decision, and no one else could make that decision but me, that's very scary."
Lt. Hoffer, 44, a 1979 Caesar Rodney High School graduate and Dover resident, went to work for the Department of Correction after graduation.
He's enjoyed much of his law enforcement career and has been fortunate to receive specialized training with the Delaware State Police, the FBI and the Secret Service.
In addition to his CERT duties, Lt. Hoffer is a transportation supervisor in Kent County, taking prisoners to and from court or for medical care.
He said his training prepared him for July 12, though he hoped he wouldn't have to use it.
"You always know it's out there," he said. "You don't expect it to ever happen and hope that it never does."
His light blue eyes get a far-away look as he remembers the standoff.
He said memories still come in bits and pieces in explicit detail.
At especially emotional moments, Lt. Hoffer locks his jaw, puts on a straight face, sits up in his seat and takes some breaths.
He takes a moment to regain his composure.
The day of the standoff, Lt. Hoffer and the other CERT officers sneaked into an adjacent office and waited for nearly an hour until the situation culminated in Mr. Miller's death.
While the hostage negotiation team talked to Miller, the CERT unit prepared.
It was the day of what was later called a "500-year storm," the lieutenant recalled.
Because he and five other team members had to leave DCC and re-enter on the other side, they were soaked when they entered an office adjacent to where Miller was holding Ms. Arnold hostage.
Wet shoes squeaking, they blanketed the floor and filing cabinet on which Lt. Hoffer climbed to mask the sound.
From there, he periodically peeked over the ceiling into the next room.
He couldn't see the counselor, but saw Miller pacing in the office as he talked with negotiators.
Toward the end of the standoff, Lt. Hoffer said he saw Mr. Miller finish raping Ms. Arnold.
At that moment, the inmate detected the officers in hiding.
"And that's when he tried to attack me," Lt. Hoffer said.
"He tried to come up over the wall. He came up as far as he could and stabbed at me several times and when he saw he wasn't going to be able to stab me, that's when he turned and jumped down from whatever piece of furniture he was on top of and said in expletives that he was going to kill her."
About a second passed between blasts from Lt. Hoffer's gun.
"And it seemed to me two forevers between the two shots, it seemed like a lot longer," he said, remembering how the muzzle flash bounced off the opposite wall.
Sometimes he remembers peeking over the wall and seeing Miller's face close to his and the inmate stabbing at him.
"In the matter of a second, you realize you have to shoot now or never, and you've only got that second to do it," he said.
He's been faring well since the incident, he said, as have the five other team members.
He's also met Ms. Arnold.
"She's dealing with some pretty serious issues, for the rest of her life I'm sure, as will I," he said. "Not the same type of issues, but similar."
Lt. Hoffer's actions also earned also him a medal of valor from DOC and a medal of honor from the Delaware branch of the Sons of the American Revolution.
On Tuesday he goes to Washington, D.C., to receive a national medal of valor from Corrections USA, a national correctional officer organization.
"The recognition is nice, it's about the only nice thing out of this whole situation," he said.
"Recognition from your peers for doing your job and doing it well, it's a good thing, it's helpful. It's very helpful the more people say that I did the right thing."
Lt. Hoffer said he'd continue working for the state while his son, Aaron, 15, finishes Polytech High School and goes to college.
He said his son called him a hero.
Asked if he thinks so, he gives a little shrug.
"I don't know, I think I did my job," he said. "I'm good at what I do and I did it the right way that day."
Staff writer Kate House-Layton can be reached at 741-8242 or khouse@newszap.com.
Reprinted with permission from newszap.com www.newszap.com
