Champaign County Crimestoppers Award

[UPDATE - The News-Gazette had additional photos and details of the event they published on August 12th and available in their eEdition here.]

Champaign County Crime Stoppers awarded a local Central High School administrator for running towards the sound of danger to usher people to safety. From today's News-Gazette:

Crime Stoppers honors Central admin for actions during shooting
Brandon Thomas and Bryan Yacko were doing what they had done countless Friday nights before at Champaign Central High School — keeping a watchful eye on the crowd leaving after a basketball game.

But for the Champaign police sergeant and the assistant principal, Dec. 15, 2017, differed markedly from previous Fridays — when gunfire outside the 83-year-old school building created fear in the departing crowd and wounded three young people.

As Thomas, the police sergeant, ran with other officers toward the shots, Yacko the educator, radioed to coworkers about what was happening, then headed toward the shots to direct people back inside to safety.

For his quick thinking and action, the 38-year-old Yacko was honored Thursday with the Dave Benton Crime Fighter of the Year Award by Champaign County Crime Stoppers at its annual meeting in Savoy.

The award is named in honor of the late television anchorman who served on the Crime Stoppers board for many years prior to his death in 2015.

Full article here.