Harrisburg police officer to receive Congressional Badge of Bravery

Harrisburg shooting spree targeting cops

Harrisburg Police block off Mulberry St. in the Allison Hill neighborhood after an apparent shootout with the people in a car that allegedly shot at a Capitol Police car Friday evening, Dec. 22, 2017.

Harrisburg Police Officer Chad McGowan will be awarded the Congressional Badge of Bravery for risking his life during a 2017 cross-city shooting spree targeting cops that ended with the death of gunman Ahmed El-Mofty.

U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, in conjunction with the Harrisburg Police Department, will host a ceremony Wednesday in Harrisburg to present McGowan with this honor given to law enforcement officers for exceptional acts of bravery in the line of duty.

On Dec. 22, 2017, El-Mofty, a 51-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen from Egypt, fired several shots at a Capitol Police cruiser near the Capitol, nearly hitting the officer inside the car. A few blocks away, he fired shots at a state trooper, grazing her head with a bullet fragment.

The gunman then traveled to 17th and Mulberry and was killed while he was shooting at more officers there. McGowan is credited with confronting and killing El-Mofty, saving other officers from death and serious injury.

Following an extensive nomination process, the U.S. Attorney General has cited just 18 recipients for the 2017 Law Enforcement Congressional Badge of Bravery.

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