School Shooting Victim, Big Sur Surfer Among 20 Heroes Honored

As his girlfriend lay shot and bleeding at his feet, Jake Ryker--who had just taken a bullet to his chest--said “That’s enough,” and tackled the teenage gunman who had sprayed his school cafeteria with bullets.

Ryker, then 17, was joined by his brother, Josh, and three other boys in subduing Kip Kinkel, who shot and killed his parents before going on his shooting rampage at Thurston High School in Springfield, Ore.

Kinkel killed two students in the May 1998 rampage and has since pleaded guilty to four counts of murder and 26 counts of attempted murder.

For his courage in pouncing on Kinkel, Ryker was among 20 people from the United States and Canada who were honored Monday for their heroism by the Pittsburgh-based Carnegie Hero Fund Commission. Five of the honorees died during rescues.

Each recipient gets a bronze medal and $3,000 from the commission, which was established in 1904 by steel magnate Andrew Carnegie after he was inspired by rescue tales from an industrial disaster.

Also honored Monday was Brendan Wahl, 41, of Big Sur, a weekend surfer who paddled his big yellow board into the Pacific Ocean south of Carmel last Christmas Eve and plucked Daniel Lackey, then 11, from the cold, choppy waves.