The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan honored six first responders with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Hometown Hero Award for acts of bravery during two separate terrorist attacks.
Among those recognized were members of the security team at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Mich., who helped stop a Hezbollah-inspired attacker who rammed a truck into the synagogue on March 12. Federal officials said the security personnel acted quickly to prevent the assailant from reaching more than 100 children, teachers and worshipers inside the building, averting what could have been a mass-casualty attack.
Also receiving the award were Michigan Conservation Officer Luke Robare and Grand Blanc Township Police Officer Jason Carpentier for their response to a Sept. 28, 2025, active-shooter attack at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township. Authorities said the officers ran toward gunfire and engaged the attacker, who was armed with an AK-47-style rifle, helping end the threat. Four people were killed, and eight others were wounded in the attack.
“These brave men answered the call without hesitation,” U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. said. “Through their sacrificial acts, these American heroes saved countless lives.”
