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A Minneapolis fifth-grader is receiving a national award for his actions to protect another student during the Annunciation Catholic Church and School shooting last year.

The Congressional Medal of Honor Society selected Victor Greenawalt as one of six recipients of a Citizen Honors Award. Victor Greenawalt, 11, shielded a classmate with his body as gunfire shattered through church glass windows and ricocheted off pews on Aug. 27 — 

as did many Annunciation students that morning

 while speaking to reporters shortly after the shooting.

“It was really scary," Weston told KARE 11 at the time. "My friend Victor, like, saved me, though. Because he laid on top of me. But he got hit.”

The awards panel named Greenwalt as the 2026 Young Hero honoree for demonstrating “extraordinary bravery far beyond his years.”

“Instinctively, Victor protected a classmate with his own body, directly saving their life during the attack,” the panel shared in a news release. “His courage and selflessness became a powerful symbol of hope and humanity for a community in crisis.”

Greenawalt was hospitalized following the shooting. His sister was also injured, 

He flew to Washington, D.C., with family for National Medal of Honor Day on Wednesday, which includes a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery and an awards program in the evening.

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Annunciation Catholic Church and School shooting

Feven Gerezgiher

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The Congressional Medal of Honor Society named Victor Greenawalt, 11, the 2026 Young Hero honoree for shielding another student with his body during a mass shooting last August.

A young boy poses for a photo next to a lake

Annunciation fifth-grader receives national award for ‘extraordinary bravery’ during school shooting

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