Greece police officer to be honored at Bills game

• Hughes was dragged alongside car in the parking lot at the Mall at Greece Ridge in June 2015

Greece Police Officer Eric Hughes will be honored as a representative of the Badge of Honor Association before Sunday's Buffalo Bills game.

Hughes, who has been with the Greece Police Department for more than 15 years, was involved in a deadly shooting in the parking lot at the Mall at Greece Ridge in June 2015. Hughes had stopped a vehicle in the mall's parking lot, approached the car and began talking to passenger Joseph Ladd. After a scuffle, Ladd reached over and pressed the car's gas pedal and began to accelerate away, dragging Hughes alongside the car. Hughes shot Ladd twice.

Hughes was cleared of any wrongdoing by a grand jury last September.

►Officer dragged before shooting man dead in Greece

►Greece cop cleared in mall shooting

The Badge of Honor Association raises funds to support the families of police officers killed in the line of duty and provides support for officers involved in critical or serious incidents while on duty. The organization covers law enforcement across the 24 counties of western and central New York.

According to the group's Facebook page, the Buffalo Bills reached out asking for the group to pick one member of the law enforcement community here to be honored on the field before Sunday's game against the New England Patriots.

"It is important for officers like Eric Hughes and all officers involved in critical incidents to know they are supported by our organization and that they are supported by the public," said Badge of Honor Association President Justin Collins in a videotaped statement on the group's Facebook page.

Hughes is currently a school resource officer working in the Greece Central School District.

He declined comment, but through Greece Police spokesman Sgt. Jared René, said he was very appreciative of his department's support and honored that the Badge of Honor Association voted for him to participate in Sunday's event.

Sunday's kickoff is at 1 p.m.

MCDERMOT@Gannett.com