An 11-year-old who shielded a classmate during a school shooting will be honored in Washington, DC, on Wednesday evening. Minneapolis sixth-grader Victor Greenawalt is one of six recipients of this year's Citizen Honor Awards from the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, which says he showed "extraordinary bravery far beyond his years" when gunfire erupted at Annunciation Catholic School last August, ABC News reports. As shots came through the windows of the school's church, Victor used his body to shield his friend, classmate Weston Halsne.
Victor and his sister were both wounded in the shooting, reports MPR News. "My friend Victor, like, saved me though. He laid on top of me, but he got hit," Weston told KARE 11 last year. "He was really brave." Victor will receive the Young Hero Award, which recognizes Americans 17 and under who display courage in life-threatening circumstances. "Instinctively, Victor protected a classmate with his own body, directly saving their life during the attack," the awards panel said. "His courage and selflessness became a powerful symbol of hope and humanity for a community in crisis."
Two children, ages 8 and 10, were killed in the attack, and more than two dozen others were injured before the shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said. "We are honored that Victor is receiving this incredible recognition for the act of protecting his friend on August 27th. He also represents the untold stories of the brave actions taken by many children and adults in response to the senseless violence that took Harper and Fletcher from us," his mother Annie Greenawalt said in a statement.
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