A house RESOLUTION

TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR Deputy brandon rowell OF THE florence COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE AND TO CONGRATULATE HIM FOR BEING AWARDED THE SOUTH CAROLINA SHERIFFS' ASSOCIATION MEDAL OF VALOR.

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives are pleased to learn that Deputy Brandon Rowell of the Florence County Sheriff's Office will be awarded the South Carolina Sheriffs' Association Medal of Valor on January 26, 2023, for courageously taking decisive action in an attempt to save the lives of two victims; and

Whereas, the award is presented annually to law enforcement officers who perform actions above and beyond the call of duty, exhibit exceptional courage, extraordinary decisiveness, and presence of mind; or act with unusual swiftness, regardless of personal safety, in an attempt to save or protect human life; and

Whereas, on May 28, 2022, deputies from the Florence County Sheriff's Office responded to an active-shooter call on Old River Road, a rural area of Florence County, where the suspect was firing randomly at passing vehicles with a high-powered rifle; and

Whereas, one vehicle contained two injured victims, one of whom was an adult male and the other a child; and

Whereas, Deputy Rowell responded to this vehicle and immediately began to administer first aid to the juvenile who had sustained a chest wound to the back of his neck. He determined that the best action was to evacuate the juvenile in the back of his patrol vehicle to ambulances which were staged outside the immediate area of the active shooter; and

Whereas, after placing the juvenile into the hands of the paramedics, Deputy Rowell remained and assisted the paramedics briefly before offering a few words of encouragement to the child's mother, and then Deputy Rowell returned to the scene to begin first aid to the adult victim who had a gunshot wound to the upper left leg; and

Whereas, Deputy Rowell applied a tourniquet to stop the bleeding, and then an ambulance arrived to provide medical treatment for the victim; and

Whereas, Deputy Rowell then returned to the scene to assist in the establishment of a perimeter where the barricaded suspect was later taken into custody; and

Whereas, the South Carolina Medal of Valor was awarded to Deputy Rowell for exhibiting exemplary valor in providing potential lifesaving aid to the victims of this crime; and

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives appreciate the courage and dedication of law enforcement officers like Brandon Rowell who put their lives on the line every day and who provide safety and security to protect the citizens of our great State. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, recognize and honor Deputy Brandon Rowell of the Florence County Sheriff's Office and congratulate him for being awarded the South Carolina Sheriffs' Association Medal of Valor.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Deputy Brandon Rowell.

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