Howard County Man Awarded Congressional Badge for Bravery

An Ellicott City man was awarded the Congressional Badge for Bravery Wednesday in Baltimore.

Metropolitan Police Officer Dorian DeSantis received the award for his role in theWashington Navy Yard shootings.

The Navy Yard is a large complex in southeast Washington where about 3,000 civilians and military personnel report each day to conduct the business of the U.S. Navy. On Sept. 16, 2013, a gunman opened fire at the complex, killing a dozen people and wounding others.

It took officers one hour and nine minutes to find the gunman in the maze-like building where he “could have hid for weeks,” D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier reportedly said.

During their search for the gunman, DeSantis and two other officers were on the third floor of the building when they saw a flash coming from a cubicle, according to WUSA 9.

One officer covered while DeSantis and another officer rounded the cubicle partition; just as they did, the gunman approached them and shot DeSantis in the vest, The Washington Post reported.

DeSantis fired the shot that killed the suspect, a civilian contractor and former Navy reservist named Aaron Alexis, NBC reported.

• 13 Dead in Washington Navy Yard Shootings
• Navy Yard Shooting Victim from Westminster a Retired State Trooper
• Who Is Navy Yard Shooting Suspect Aaron Alexis?

The Congressional Badge for Bravery is awarded to people who ”engage in exceptional acts of bravery in the line of duty,” according to the U.S. Department of Justice, which helps to administer the award.

The fact that DeSantis continued to pursue Alexis despite being shot in the chest embodied a “remarkable moment of bravery,” U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein reportedly said at Wednesday’s ceremony.

According to The Baltimore Sun, DeSantis told the crowd at ceremony, held at the University of Baltimore, that it was a team effort, stating: “I thank you for this award and I will be the keeper for everyone else who responded that day.”

In all, The Washington Post reported that 170 officers responded to help locate the gunman the day of the shootings.

Photo Credit: Rep. Elijah E. Cummings.

Want more news? Get the Columbia Patch daily newsletter.