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Boy who drowned trying to save brother honored

18 receive Carnegie Medal for heroism

The Columbian
Published: July 2, 2015, 12:00am

PITTSBURGH — A 16-year-old Oregon boy who drowned while trying to save his younger brother’s life is one of 18 people to be honored with a Carnegie Medal for heroism.

S. Alexander Smith, of Aloha, jumped into the Row River upstream from a 15-foot waterfall to try to save his 13-year-old brother, Christian, on July 1, 2014. Both boys were carried over the falls, but the younger boy survived.

Smith was the only one of those honored Tuesday by the Pittsburgh-based Carnegie Hero Fund Commission who died during a rescue attempt.

Another man, Bryon Snyder, 36, of Topeka, Kan., helped rescue a woman who was abducted and threatened with a gun June 30, 2014. Snyder helped the woman run inside a convenience store after she escaped, and he was shot and critically injured while trying to prevent the gunman from entering.

The suspect was arrested after a police standoff at a nearby residence, and Snyder has since recovered.

The other 16 winners are from Florida, Idaho, Kentucky, Minnesota, Ohio, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Tennessee and Washington.

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