A man who disarmed and subdued a shooter on the campus of Seattle Pacific University last summer is receiving a special honor.
Renton man Jon Meis is being recognized by the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation. He is one three honorees selected from 20 finalists for their “acts of courage and selflessness,” in the Citizen Honors Program, according to the foundation.
When Meis graduated from SPU last year, he received the biggest ovation of the day.
Meis, who was a building monitor at the university at the time, pepper-sprayed and tackled a gunman in the university’s Otto Miller Hall.
Police said the shooter, who killed one student and wounded two others, had additional rounds and a knife.
"We are immensely proud of alumnus Jon Meis' recognition today by the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation; not only for his quick thinking and brave response on June 5, but for his continuing deep faith and witness to God. We join the foundation in thanking Jon for his extraordinary act of heroism,” said SPU President Dan Martin.
The two other honorees are Michael G. Reagan, a Vietnam veteran from Edmonds. He was selected for his service in founding the non-profit Fallen Heroes Project, which provides hand-drawn portraits to the families of all servicemen and women who have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Alton Brieske of Port St. Lucie, Florida, was selected for his heroism on December 10, 2014 when he plunged into a snake and alligator infested canal to rescue and resuscitate an unresponsive driver from a submerged vehicle.
The honorees will be recognized in a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday, which is National Medal of Honor Day.
KIRO
