A combination of good fortune, skill and training led to a win for law enforcement Monday on Ohio State's campus as one of its finest is being hailed for being a hero. Following an incident where eleven people were injured, Officer Alan Horujko, 28, was praised for quickly ending a situation on Monday that could have turned deadly.
Horujko, a two-year member of Ohio State's police force, was responding to a call of a gas leak on Ohio State's campus Monday morning when he spotted a man who ran over several pedestrians. As the man, who was identified by Ohio State officials as Abdul Razak Ali Artan, exited the car, Artan began stabbing bystanders with a butcher knife.
Within two minutes, Horujko shot Artan, bringing an abrupt end to what could have been a deadly situation.
"It was fortunate that (the gas leak) did happen as it helped the officer be in the right place at the right time," OSU Police Chief Craig Stone said. "He was able to see this whole thing happen and take immediate action."
Ohio Gov. John Kasich said officers on Monday morning did a "remarkable job."
"When you think about this timeline, from 9:52 to 9:54, it shows how much practice, how much training, how much expertise and how much coordination took place between campus police and (other agencies)," Kasich said. "Think about what this tragedy could have meant... and fortunately from what I am understanding is that they are expecting a full recovery."
All nine victims who were transported to the hospital sustained non-life threatening injuries.
According to Ohio State's student newspaper, Horujko is a graduate of Ohio State and is originally from Cincinnati.
Ohio State president Michael Drake said he met with Horujko shortly after Monday's incident.
"I thanked him for following his training and neutralize the circumstances within roughly one minute," Drake said.
Earlier on Monday, Columbus Police officials said they will investigate the officer's use of deadly force, per standard operating procedure.
