Bernard Kozen, a 56-year-old parks director for a township in Pennsylvania, is among the 19 people that will be awarded with medals and cash grants by the Carnegie Heroes Fund Commission.
Kozen, Ross Township parks director, was responsible for the tackling, disarming and subduing of 60-year-old Rockne Newell in Aug. 5 of last year. Newell, a gunman that has been charged with the killing of three people in a municipal meeting, was shot in the leg during the scuffle, subduing him until the authorities arrived.
Newell is currently awaiting trial, where there is a possibility that he will face death for the alleged killing of three people spurred by a dispute concerning his property.
The people that Newell killed included two residents and the zoning officer of Ross Township, as the gunman let loose dozens of shots from his rifle during the fatal municipal meeting held at the Pocono Mountains community.
Reports said that Newell started shooting into the building through a window, then went inside the structure and targeted the scared people while they were running to get out. Once Newell's ammunition ran out, the gunman walked back to his vehicle to take his handgun before going back to the building.
Kozen, who at the time was hiding in one of the building's offices, could have chosen to run outside to be safe from Newell's shooting spree. However, Kozen decided to tackle Newell, and with the assistance of another man, the gunman was overpowered.
The Carnegie Hero medals are given to heroes that have risked their lives to save others. One other person among the list of 19 awardees is Samuel Irick from Houston, who lost his life on Nov. 11, 2010 when he chose to help against an armed purse-snatcher outside a convenience store. The family of Irick will be receiving the award in his stead.
The Carnegie Hero awards are named after Andrew Carnegie, a philanthropist and steel magnate from Pittsburgh. Carnegie was inspired to begin the awards after hearing tales of heroism that occurred during a coal mine disaster that led to the deaths of 181 individuals, including an engineer and a miner who both lost their lives as they attempted to rescue other people during the incident.
The Carnegie Heroes Fund Commission awards individuals in North America for acts of heroism, awarding medals and cash grants quarterly. The fund has awarded a total of almost $37 million to 9,737 heroes or their families since it was launched in 1904.
