Michael Landsberry, the math teacher who was killed while intervening in the 2013 shooting at Sparks Middle School, has been awarded a Carnegie Medal for extraordinary heroism.
The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission last week named Landsberry and 21 other people from throughout the United States and Canada as recipients of the medal, which is awarded to those who risk their lives to an extraordinary degree while saving or attempting to save the lives of others.
The Carnegie commission’s summary of Landsberry’s heroism reads as follows:
“Michael T. Landsberry died attempting to save an indeterminate number of people from assault…A 12-year-old boy armed with a nine-millimeter handgun entered the play yard at the rear of his middle school before the start of classes. Of the many students who were gathered there, the boy shot one of them in the shoulder.
“Landsberry, 45, and another teacher were at the opposite end of the yard supervising the students. They heard the gunshot and advanced toward where it originated as students were fleeing. At the same time, the assailant was walking in Landsberry’s direction, the gun in his right hand at his side.
“At a point about 15 feet from the assailant, Landsberry stopped and then slowly approached him with his hands up. He was heard asking the assailant to put the gun down. When the assailant told Landsberry to back away, Landsberry took one step backward, but the assailant pointed the gun at him and fired, fatally wounding him.
“The assailant then approached one of the wings of the school, fired twice into it, and then shot another student, in the stomach. Walking away, the assailant shot himself, inflicting a fatal wound. The two wounded students required hospital treatment, and they recovered.”
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