Officer with Thorpe ties gets congressional medal

U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey presented a Harrisburg Police officer with a Congressional Badge of Bravery on Wednesday for confronting and killing an armed suspect who shot at a Capitol Police officer in 2017.

Chad McGowan was part of a group of officers who responded after the Capitol officer came under fire from Ahmed El-Mofty, a 51-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen from Egypt.

McGowan’s father, Chuck, is a 1980 graduate of Jim Thorpe High School who starred in football and basketball for the Olympians. His mother, Jane (Marks) Seitz, is a graduate of Marian Catholic High School, Hometown.

It is only the third time a Pennsylvania officer has received the honor. McGowan joins officer Raymond Blohm III of the Upper Darby Police Department, and Lt. Anthony Palermo, Sgt. James Vogel and Detectives William Friburger Jr. and David Honick of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police.

Toomey said he was honored to play a small role in recognizing McGowan.

“Officer McGowan confronted the shooter and returned fire and in the end fatally wounded the shooter. And in the process, he gallantly saved people’s lives, and eliminated the risk of all kinds of injuries. It was an extraordinary moment,” Toomey said.

Toomey said that McGowan’s actions are also a reminder of how police officers must make split second decisions with lives on the line.

“Officer McGowan kept his cool, and responded exactly as he was trained, did the right thing, and saved lives with his actions,” Toomey said.

Toomey presented McGowan with the honor during a ceremony at the MLK City Government Center.

The incident

According to the Harrisburg Bureau of Police, the officer’s vehicle received heavy gunfire from El-Mofty in a vehicle that the officer was pursuing. El-Mofty later fired upon a state trooper in her vehicle when she responded to the assist call. The bullets struck her vehicle and grazed her head with a bullet fragment.

McGowan, who had a county probation officer and three officers in training riding along, located El-Mofty. When El-Mofty saw McGowan’s unmarked police vehicle, he immediately pulled over and exited his vehicle, and walked toward them holding a handgun. McGowan got out, identified himself and ordered El-Mofty to drop his weapon. El-Mofty raised his handgun and began firing at the officers. McGowan took cover beside his vehicle and exchanged gunfire with El-Mofty, while the three trainee officers and the probation officer exited the vehicle and sought cover.

El-Mofty began charging toward the officers and fired his weapon until he ran out of bullets. McGowan held his position and returned fire. El-Mofty then retreated back to his vehicle to retrieve a second handgun and a blue cylinder. McGowan continued to fire at El-Mofty, striking him several times and causing him to drop the blue cylinder and fall to the ground. McGowan alerted other responding officers to the possibility that the El-Mofty had an explosive device.

An injured El-Mofty raised his gun while lying on the ground and fired it over his head at the officers. McGowan and a state trooper who had arrived on the scene returned fire, fatally wounding El-Mofty.

Chris Reber contributed to this report.