Retired Pittsburgh police officer honored as "Hometown Hero" for Tree of Life shooting response

One of the first officers to respond to the deadly Tree of Life shooting in 2018 was honored by the U.S. Attorney's Office with the Hometown Hero Award. 

The award is offered in commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the United States of America, and honors those who embody the ideals of liberty, service, and civic responsibility. 

Retired Pittsburgh police officer Daniel Mead received the award in front of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police's command staff on Wednesday morning. 

"The U.S. Attorney's Office is pleased to honor Daniel Mead with the Western District of Pennsylvania's Hometown Hero Award in conjunction with the celebration of our nation's 250th birthday," said United States Attorney Troy Rivetti. "Nearly eight years after the shooting, our gratitude and admiration for the heroic bravery and selfless dedication of the first responders that day endures. On the morning of October 27, 2018, Officer Mead walked directly into the line of fire in fulfillment of his sworn duty to uphold the law and protect his fellow citizens. Today, we honor him. He is Pittsburgh's Hometown Hero."

Mead, along with his partner Michael Smidga, was the first to arrive at the synagogue in 2018. Once they arrived, armed with only a handgun, Mead approached the entrance and observed the shooter inside the building. 

He was shot through the hand and was forced to retreat. Mead was one of four police officers who were shot and injured on that day. 

In 2023, a jury found Robert Bowers, the man accused of shooting and killing 11 people, wounding two other worshippers, and wounding four police officers at the Tree of Life synagogue, guilty on all accounts. 

About two months after finding Bowers guilty on all accounts, a jury handed down the death penalty for Bowers.