Crime & Safety
OC Man Who Tried To Stop Gunman During 2023 Mass Shooting In Trabuco Canyon Honored
Glen R. Sprowl Jr., 53, was named Monday as a posthumous recipient of the Carnegie Medal for heroism.
TRABUCO CANYON, CA — A Stanton man who was fatally shot while attempting to stop a gunman during the 2023 mass shooting at Cook's Corner in Trabuco Canyon was named Monday as a posthumous recipient of the Carnegie Medal for heroism.
Glen R. Sprowl Jr., 53, was among 16 people from the United States and Canada named in the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission's latest round of awards. The commission describes the medal as the highest honor for civilian heroism in the United States and Canada.
Sprowl was killed Aug. 23, 2023, after a 59-year-old gunman opened fire inside the crowded bar, first shooting and wounding his estranged wife and then shooting several other patrons, according to the commission.
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The gunman continued firing as he moved outside and went to the parking lot, where he retrieved a shotgun from his truck.
Sprowl, a shop manager who had been seated outside the front of the bar, entered the establishment shortly after the gunman exited, according to the commission. He then returned outside and moved around the side of the building toward the parking lot.
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Witnesses said Sprowl encountered several people and tried to rally them to pursue the gunman. Armed with a pocketknife, Sprowl continued toward the assailant and reached the base of a ramp leading to the parking lot.
The gunman fired a shotgun at Sprowl, striking him four times in the upper body, according to the commission. Sprowl collapsed and died at the scene.
The gunman shot two other people before Orange County sheriff's deputies arrived about four minutes later and exchanged gunfire with him. Deputies fatally wounded the assailant.
Nine people were shot by the gunman, three fatally, including Sprowl.
The Carnegie Medal is awarded to people who enter extreme danger while saving or attempting to save the lives of others, according to the Pittsburgh-based Carnegie Hero Fund Commission.
The commission has awarded the medal to 10,597 people since industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie established the fund in 1904. Medal recipients or their survivors also receive a financial grant.
