Posted on 05/28/2019 4:26:30 AM PDT by csvset
President Donald Trump presented Ohio State University police officer Alan Horujko, a Fairfield native, with a presidential Medal of Valor on Wednesday for shooting to death a knife-wielding Somali refugee on Nov. 28, 2016, after the attacker had wounded 13 people on campus.
During a White House ceremony to award medals to 14 public safety officers, Trump gave Horujko his medal, the highest decoration police officers can receive. Horujko shot Abdul Razak Ali Artan, a move university officials said prevented an even worse attack.
Artan, an 18-year-old OSU student, had crashed his brother’s car into a crowd of people near Watts Hall. Artan then stabbed several people with a knife before Horujko shot him.
“Thanks to Alan’s swift action, not a single innocent person that day died,” Trump said at the event.
“These are tremendous people,” he said afterward, adding it was an “amazing honor” to have them in the White House.
“To the heroes we honor today: This afternoon, we express the gratitude and pride of our nation for your immortal acts of courage.
“Every officer, firefighter and first responder who receives this award embodies the highest ideals of service and sacrifice, character and courage,” Trump said.
Horunko was a graduate from the 2007 class of the Butler County high school, where he was a part of the school’s rocket club.
In December 2016 as president-elect, Trump met with Horujko and some of the victims of the attack at the Schottenstein Center.
Horujko was directing traffic near Watts Hall when he saw Artan drive wildly up a curb, striking several people. As Horujko approached the car, he heard other people screaming about Artan, who was wielding a butcher’s knife.
In a video released by Ohio State, Horujko said he chased Artan, ordering him to drop the knife. When Artan turned and charged toward the officer, Horujko shot and killed him.
“He was kind of going up and down the street diagonally, running away from me, chasing anybody he could reach, slashing pretty wildly at everybody,” Horujko said.
Among those attending the event Wednesday were U.S. Attorney General William Barr and Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio.
“Officer Horujko is a hero, and I was honored to attend the … ceremony today as he received this distinguished award from the president for his courageous actions,” Portman said.
Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, who could not attend because he was at a committee hearing, said, “We are grateful to Alan Horujko and all Ohio officers who put themselves in harm’s way to keep us safe.”
Among the 13 others honored were eight men who responded to a shooting at a southern California polling place.
The members of the Azusa, California, police department were honored for placing themselves in danger and saving the lives of civilians and fellow officers during the shooting on Election Day 2016.
Information from The Associated Press was included in this story.
Ohio State didn’t prosecute him for Islamaphobia?! They’re slackin.
Where are the brave young people who will protect us in the future? THEY ARE HERE AND EVERYWHERE ACROSS AMERICA!! And Thank God for them!!
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