Congratulations to Weymouth resident Jean-Paul LaPierre on being awarded the Carnegie Hero Commission Medal! The Carnegie Medal goes to those who risk their lives to an extraordinary degree while saving or attempting to save the lives of others.
In the early morning before the Chicago Marathon on October 13th, 2019, Jean-Paul was riding the train when he noticed a man on the opposite end of his train car armed with a loaded handgun was robbing passengers. When the train stopped at the next station, nearly all the passengers disembarked. Jean-Paul instead followed the gunman, who was briskly walking to the next car in the train. Once aboard the second car, Jean-Paul pinned the gunman against a set of closed doors and pried the gun away from him. Another passenger took the gun from Jean-Paul and reset the safety on it. He then secured the assailant until police arrived to arrest him. No passengers were injured, except for Jean-Paul who injured his arm in the encounter.
To say the least, we are incredibly proud of Jean-Paul and thankful that he took action to ensure the well-being of those around him. Thank you and congratulations!
