U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher of Texas presented the Carnegie Medal to Steven Jacob Shannon at her office in Houston on Aug. 13.
Shannon was awarded the medal after saving a group of people from assault in Houston on Nov.25, 2022.
Fifteen people were in a Houston barroom when a disgruntled, 30-year-old male customer re-entered with a semi-automatic pistol. The assailant fired several rounds into the ceiling before lowering the gun and firing a single shot in the direction of the bar, where most of the customers were gathered. Shannon, 39, stood at an auxiliary bar across the room. Shannon dropped to his hands and knees at the sound of the gunshots. He then crouched and moved toward the assailant along his blind side as others scattered for cover. Shannon leaped head-first over a set of stadium-style seats and a railing bordering the stairwell as he attempted to tackle the assailant. Shannon managed to disarm the assailant and then drove him outside.
The struggle between the two continued outside as Shannon continued to march the assailant backward until the duo toppled over a city bikeshare station. With the man on the ground, Shannon wrestled with the assailant and eventually secured him in a jiu-jitsu chokehold until police arrived. The assailant was arrested and no one in the barroom was injured. Shannon suffered a concussion and bruising. He recovered.
Shannon was joined by friends and family at the presentation, including his wife and two children.
