Off-Duty Shooting/Public Assistance

Firefighter/Paramedic Scott Carter and his wife, Angie, visited a café in Hawthorne to dine and sing karaoke. Around 9:00 p.m. gun shots rang out on the opposite side of the café. Patrons hit the floor, while others screamed in panic.

Firefighter/Paramedic Carter tried to calm the patrons and to assist them in exiting the building which only had two exits - one front and one rear. He didn't know if anybody was injured and wanted to get his wife to safety while also being a reliable witness at the scene. As the mass exit was taking place, he was struck in his head from behind. He grabbed his wife and yelled, "call 911," as he had forgotten his cell phone at home.

The shooter's accomplices heard him and jumped him from behind. They stuck the back of his head and upper torso. He covered up to protect himself from being knocked unconscious. Then the shooter fired a round at Firefighter Carter, striking him in his left thigh. The bullet passed through his leg, ricocheted off the pavement and lodged in his left calf. He never saw the shooter because he was covering up to protect himself.

In fear for his life, Firefighter Carter pulled a folding pocketknife from his shirt pocket to defend himself. He was able to stab the shooter several times around the shoulder and chest area, as he was being attacked himself. His only thought was to gain control of the weapon.

Firefighter/Paramedic Carter threw his knife down to gain control of the gun. All this time, he was being beaten by the shooter's accomplices. Carter finally gained control of the weapon, reminding himself to keep the barrel away from him. He was still taking blows to the back of his head but was able to eject the cartridge from the chamber and discard the magazine from the weapon. His goal was to make the weapon completely unserviceable so it couldn't be used against him or bystanders. He tossed the empty weapon to the ground and picked up the magazine. At that which point, the people beating him decided to flee.

A police cruiser arrived. Firefighter Carter hobbled toward the vehicle with the magazine in his hand. He pointed toward the suspect to identify him to police and immediately hit the deck. He saw numerous casings ejecting from the police weapons. He heard bullets passing over his head. He didn't know who they were shooting at. The police then sprinted past him to confront the assailant. He crawled to the sidewalk and while waiting for more police, noticed the shooter was down.

In the heat of the battle, when Firefighter Carter ejected the chamber round, another automatically loaded before he dropped the magazine. This single shot was fired at the police officers. In response, the officers fired and killed the suspect.

Still concerned about his wife's safety, he made contact with her and learned that she had taken cover until the incident was over. He was transported to the hospital where he was admitted to surgery for his wounds. He sustained permanent muscle tissue damage to his thigh and slight nerve damage. Firefighter Carter spent two months in rehab before being activated for reserve Army service. He then deployed to Iraq for six months active combat duty.

Five people were shot in this incident — all survived except the shooter. Firefighter Scott Carter was awarded the Soldier's Medal from the United States Army, the highest honor given to a soldier in non-combat incidents. His initiative, decisive actions and bravery prevented what could have been a tragic outcome to this incident.