HOUSTON — A Hockley man is among 17 people nationwide being honored with the Carnegie Medal for Heroism, North America’s highest civilian award, after officials say he disarmed an armed man inside a Pasadena high school.
The Carnegie Hero Fund announced the recipients as part of its fourth and final award announcement for 2025, recognizing individuals who risked serious injury or death to save others.
Act of heroism at Pasadena high school
According to the Hero Fund, Juan F. Lopez, 42, of Hockley, was attending a student band competition on Feb. 1 at Pasadena Memorial High School with his wife, young son, and in-laws when an 83-year-old man armed with a pistol entered the building and opened fire, wounding one person.
Police later identified the suspect as 83-year-old Dennis Erwin Brandl Jr., according to the Pasadena Police Department…