An Ohio State University policeman received a prestigious honor for his response to a 2016 shooting on the school’s campus.
President Donald Trump awarded Officer Alan Horujko the Medal of Valor at a May 23 ceremony celebrating first responders. Horujko stopped a terrorist attack at Ohio State in 2016. The officer shot and killed Abdul Razak Ali Artan after he drove into a crowd and attacked people with a knife. One person died and 13 people were injured during Artan’s attack.
“There was a plan that had me there that day,” Horujko told Ohio State in 2017. “It seems like the stars aligned in some way to put me right there where I was needed to protect those people. So that’s why I’m just very grateful that happened.”
Trump noted Horujko during the ceremony.
Also with us today is Officer Alan Horujko of the Ohio State University Police. On November 28, 2016, an ISIS-inspired terrorist sped into a crowd of students at Ohio State. I remember that. He then got out of his car and chased them with a knife.
Alan ran to the scene and yelled at the man to drop his knife. The man charged toward Alan after doing a lot of damage to others, but Alan shot him and killed him immediately. Thanks to Alan’s swift action, not a single innocent person that day died. Some very badly injured people, however. Officer Horujko, we are forever grateful. Thank you very much.
The Medal of Valor is the highest national award granted to a public servant. First responders started receiving this award in 2001 when Congress passed The Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor Act.
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Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of Battleground State News.
