KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — A woman who was shot while protecting six children during the Kalamazoo Uber shooting has been announced as a finalist for the Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s Citizen Honors Award.
U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, said in a statement on March 9 that Kalamazoo citizen Tiana Carruthers is among the 20 finalists selected to receive the award.
On February 20th, 2016 in Kalamazoo, a gunman driving an Uber vehicle killed six people and wounded another two.
Carruthers shielded her daughter and five other children with her own body when the gunman approached them at a local park. Although she sustained injuries, none of the children were harmed. She ultimately survived the encounter.
The gunman was later identified as Jason Dalton, who plead guilty to all charges relating to the mass shooting. He is now serving life in prison.
“Tiana Carruthers is a local hero whose name and legacy should be known across the nation,” Upton said. “Her courage on that day in 2016 is simply remarkable, and by God’s grace, she survived, the children were not harmed, and now we can honor her as a nation for her unbelievable bravery. Our community will forever be in her debt because of what she did to protect her daughter and all of those children. She exemplifies what it means to be a true citizen hero. Tiana went from the common among us to an extraordinary hero deserving of recognition by the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation.”
Upton had originally nominated Carruthers for the award last October.
The 20 finalists were selected through two rounds of judging by an independent panel, with the final round judged by Medal of Honor recipients. According to Upton, more than 110 nominations from around the country were submitted for these awards.
Of the 20 nominations, a final six will be selected to receive the awards.
The Congressional Medal of Honor Society is expected to announce the winners on Thursday, March 12. The winners will be honored on National Medal of Honor Day, March 25, 2020, at the Citizen Honors Awards Dinner in Washington, D.C.
The Congressional Medal of Honor Society was originally started by Congress in 1958
