Medal for soldier who stopped casino shooter
A North Dakota National Guard staff sergeant who tackled a gunman in a Las Vegas casino has been decorated for valor.
Justin Lampert, 25, an Iraq war veteran, was inside the New York New York casino July 6 when he heard gunfire. He ran toward the shooter and tackled him as the man was trying to reload his pistol.
Three other men arrived shortly afterward to help Lampert subdue the shooter before police arrived. Four people were wounded in the spray of gunfire.
Maj. Gen. David Sprynczynatyk, the commander of the North Dakota National Guard, and Gov. John Hoeven presented Lampert on Friday with the Soldier’s Medal, which is awarded for heroism demonstrated outside combat.
Lampert is a native of Crosby and student at North Dakota State University. He served in Iraq from March 2004 until February 2005. His job was to find and clear away roadside bombs.
The man accused in the shootings, Steven Zegrean, 52, is awaiting trial in June. He is being held in a Las Vegas jail on $3 million bond on charges of attempted murder and weapons violations. Police say he fired more than a dozen bullets before he was subdued.
2008-03-20
