Barry University alumnus Niel Johnson, ’15, received the nation’s highest public safety honor – the Medal of Valor – during a ceremony at the White House on May 16.
Johnson, who serves as a North Miami County police officer, graduated from Barry with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography. He was presented the Medal of Valor by President Barack Obama. Johnson was honored for the role he played in an April 2015 incident involving a shootout with an armed man outside an apartment complex in Miami-Dade County.
During the shootout, the suspect, who Johnson later subdued, stole a police car and led authorities on a chase. Two other drivers were shot and injured by the suspect during the chase.