D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray on Monday presented his first-ever Mayor’s Medal of Honor to Leonard “Leo” Johnson, a security guard who was shot in the arm while thwarting a gunman who entered a conservative think tank near Gallery Place in August.
Mr. Johnson has been praised as a hero for confronting the suspect from Virginia, Floyd Lee Corkins II, when he walked into the lobby of the Family Research Council. Court papers say Mr. Johnson sustained his injury when he tussled with Mr. Corkins to prevent him from entering the council’s offices.
“Leo Johnson put his life on the line to wrestle a firearm away from an assailant and prevented what could have been a very tragic situation,” Mr. Gray said.
Court papers say a witness heard Mr. Corkins say something to the effect of, “I don’t like your politics.” Mr. Corkins then pulled a loaded Sig Sauer 9 mm pistol from his backpack and shot Mr. Johnson, who was able to wrestle the gun away from Mr. Corkins and subdue him, the papers said.
A federal grand jury has indicted Mr. Corkins, 28, of Herndon, on charges of assault with the intent to kill, interstate transportation of a firearm and ammunition and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence.
Mr. Gray also on Monday honored a pair of officers from the Metropolitan Police Department, acting Sgt. Timothy Holmes and Officer Walter Gilmore, for their actions during the emergency response to the incident.
The FRC is outspoken on hot-button social issues such as same-sex marriage and abortion. Before the shooting, it supported fast food chain Chick-fil-A after company president Dan Cathy commented that his business supported traditional marriage between a man and a woman, outraging same-sex marriage advocates.
Mr. Corkins’ parents told investigators that their son “has strong opinions with respect to those he believes do not treat homosexuals in a fair manner,” according to court papers.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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