On September 17th, 2016 an off duty police officer, Jason Falconer, shot and killed a man who had gone on a stabbing spree at the Crossroad Center Mall in St. Cloud. Falconer was being advanced on by the man, who had two steak knives, when Falconer killed him.

For his bravery and good work Falconer was honored on Thursday with the Congressional Badge of Bravery. Falconer is the first Minnesota officer to receive this honor. He also was named Officer of the Year for 2016 by the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association.

The Congressional Badge of Bravery was created by Congress in 2008 to honor law enforcement who display exceptional acts of bravery.

The Star Tribune reports that Falconer seemed to be slightly uncomfortable with all of the media attention. He said during the ceremony “I kinda thought it was all said and done, and then we had this" which caused everyone to laugh.

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer were both there and said a few words. Klobuchar states that Falconer's action “is the definition of bravery" and Emmer said “This is a fitting award for the brave acts of a humble guy like you.”

 

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