After apprehending an 83-year-old man accused of killing someone Saturday during a band competition at Pasadena Memorial High School, four guys from the Houston region are receiving hero awards.
The One in Five Foundation for Kids, a nationwide nonprofit organization established in response to the 2022 Uvalde school shooting, claims that Houston police officer Joe Sanchez, along with U.S. military veterans Efrain Polo Castillo, Adam Curow, and Abram Trevino, intervened and assisted in disarming suspected shooter Dennis Erwin Brandl Jr. The four guys who stepped in over the weekend in Pasadena will get heroism awards, according to the charity.
Simply put, these people acted without hesitation to save lives, according to a statement from the foundation. However, what these people accomplished that day cannot be understated. They are heroes.
According to Harris County court records, Brandl, 83, is a U.S. Navy veteran and has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He allegedly drove to Pasadena from his Spring residence, then entered the school, took out a small-caliber firearm, and shot a man who worked at another school in the Houston region. According to the Pasadena Police Department, Brandl reportedly told police that he believed someone was after him and that he was afraid he and his wife would be killed.
A technology consultant for Angleton ISD, where band students competed, is the man who was shot. The Pasadena Police Department reported that the gunman and victim did not know one another and had no previous interaction, and that he was in stable condition at a hospital on Sunday and was expected to fully recover.
According to court documents, Brandl was still being held in downtown Houston as of Monday afternoon. His bond was $80,000.
