Two San Diego residents will be recognized for helping save a man who was attacked by a shark in the waters off Del Mar, the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission announced Monday.
Kevin Barrett, 51, of San Diego, and Cameron Whiting, 31, of Encinitas, will receive the Carnegie Medal, which recognizes civilians who perform acts of heroism at great personal risk, for guiding a wounded swimmer to shore after the man was bitten by a juvenile great white shark on June 2.
The victim, 46-year-old Caleb Adams, was among more than a dozen people taking part in an open-water swim when he was bitten by the nine-foot-long shark.
Adams sustained lacerations to his chest, leg, and hand, but was able to punch the shark and fight it off.
After the attack, Barrett and Whiting swam over to Adams and provided aid. Barrett began pulling Adams towards the shore. He and Whiting were then able to hoist Adams onto a nearby surfer’s surfboard and push the board toward shore.
Once on land, the men helped Adams into the back of a lifeguard truck.
Adams lost a third of his blood, underwent emergency surgery, and was hospitalized for three days, but has since recovered, according to the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission.
San Diego native Richard M. Fierro, a Mira Mesa High School and San Diego State University graduate, will also receive the award for an unrelated incident: he helped subdue the shooter who committed the Nov. 19, 2022, rampage at Club Q in Colorado Springs.
The shooting claimed the lives of five people, including the boyfriend of Fierro’s daughter, 22-year-old Raymond Green Vance. An additional 19 people were injured in the shooting.
The body-armor clad shooter began firing on club patrons with an assault rifle just before midnight.
After diving to the floor when the initial shots were fired, Fierro, 45, ran at the gunman, who pointed a pistol at Fierro and pulled the trigger.
However, the gun did not fire, according to the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission.
Fierro grabbed the gun and pulled the shooter to the floor, then struck the gunman with the pistol and held him there until police arrived.
The gunman, who also had San Diego ties as the grandson of former Assemblyman and Santee mayor Randy Voepel, was sentenced to life in prison in parallel state and federal prosecutions.
The three are among 18 people to be awarded the Carnegie Medal, in what is the Hero Fund’s third round of award announcements this year.
This story was updated on Sept. 23, 2024 at 1:18 p.m. to include details about Richard Fierro’s award.
City News Service contributed to this report.
