‘Hero’ officer who held back rioters during Capitol siege nominated for medal
U.S. Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman took “quick, decisive and heroic actions” when he lured a mob of pro-Trump rioters from the Senate chamber during last week’s Capitol siege.
Now, a group of lawmakers are seeking to honor him.
“He’s a hero!” Rep. Charlie Crist, D-FL, said in a statement praising Goodman. “The United States Capitol was under attack by armed, violent extremists, and Officer Eugene Goodman was the only thing standing between the mob and the United States Senate. I shudder to think what might have happened had it not been for Officer Goodman’s fast thinking and commitment to his duty and his country.”
Crist, along with Reps. Emanuel Cleaver, D-MO, and Nancy Mace, R-SC, credited Goodman for his bravery and on Thursday introduced legislation to honor him with the Congressional Gold Medal.
It’s the highest civilian honor Congress can bestow and includes recipients such as Rosa Parks, Jackie Robinson and the Tuskegee Airmen, according to the U.S. House.
“With this prestigious award, we can show our gratitude to Officer Goodman for saving countless lives and defending our democracy,” Cleaver said in a statement.
Goodman’s heroic efforts were captured in a viral video showing the moment dozens of rioters breached the Capitol, where lawmakers were in the process of certifying the 2020 presidential election results. The lone officer is seen fending off the mob with a baton as they chase him up steps.
Goodman soon arrives at a landing and notices an unmanned hall leading to the Senate chamber. He looks quickly to his left before baiting the rioters in the opposite direction, video shows.
The U.S. Army veteran has since been lauded for his bravery and quick thinking. A Change.org petition calling on President-elect Joe Biden to honor Goodman with the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, has garnered more than 41,500 signatures as of Friday morning.
Goodman also received praise from the XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, where he once served.
“An Iraq combat vet and member of this Corps, Eugene was a hero long before last Wednesday,” the unit wrote on Twitter. “We celebrate his valor.”
This story was originally published January 15, 2021 at 8:31 AM with the headline "‘Hero’ officer who held back rioters during Capitol siege nominated for medal."