CINCINNATI -- A Cincinnati pastor has been awarded the Carnegie Medal for wrestling a knife away from a 21-year-old who fatally stabbed a 60-year-old woman in a wheelchair in Roselawn in January 2015.
Timothy Carpenter, 48, was honored with the Carnegie Medal, which is awarded throughout the United States and Canada to those who risk their lives to an extraordinary degree while saving or attempting to save the lives of others. Three of the 20 awardees announced Wednesday died in the performance of their heroic acts.
Carpenter attempted to rescue Patricia Hummons after he saw Andrew Kimbrough approach her from behind and stab her "without provocation," according to a news release. As Carpenter knelt to tend to Hummons, who had been pulled to the sidewalk in front of her apartment building, Kimbrough stabbed him underneath the chin from behind.
Carpenter stood and was stabbed again in the abdomen. He grabbed the knife, breaking it in two and retaining the blade. The men struggled, during which Carpenter injured Kimbrough with the blade. Carpenter held Kimbrough down until police arrived and arrested him. Hummons died at the scene of her injuries. Carpenter required hospital treatment for his stab wounds and lacerations, but he recovered.
The heroes announced Wednesday bring the total number of awardees since the Pittsburgh-based Fund's inception in 1904 to 9,934. Commission Chair Mark Laskow stated that each of the awardees or their survivors will also receive a financial grant. Throughout the 113 years since the fund was established by industrialist-philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, $38.9 million has been given in assistance.
More information on the Carnegie Medal and the history of the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission can be found here.
