ROCK HILL, S.C. — D'Angelo Cordero Jenkins, a cable installer from Rock Hill, will be honored posthumously more than a year after he saved a 2-year-old boy from drowning, albeit with the rescue attempt ending with the loss of his own life.
U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman (R - Rock Hill) will present Jenkins' family with the Carnegie Medal of Honor, which is the highest honor in both the U.S. and Canada for civilian heroism. Jenkins will be awarded the medal alongside 65-year-old Michael Byers of Lexington, N.C., who also got the boy to safety.
The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission shared the story online as part of its final announcements of 2021. On Oct. 3, 2020, Jenkins was fishing on the Catawba River in Huntersville with the boy and his mother, who was his partner. The child fell into swift-moving water, and Jenkins immediately jumped in to rescue the boy.
However, Jenkins had difficulty swimming with the boy. That's when Byers, a retired business operator, jumped in and was able to take the child from Jenkins to a boat ramp. Byers was exhausted after getting the boy to safety and was unable to get back to Jenkins, still floating in the river. Jenkins tragically passed away at 34 years old after drowning.
Jenkins and Byers join 15 other people in being awarded the Carnegie Medal from 2021. Four of the other honorees are also being recognized posthumously.
The Carnegie Medal is given to people who enter extreme danger while saving or trying to save the lives of others. Since the fund was started in 1904, more than 10,000 medals have been awarded. More than $43 million has also been given in one-time grants, scholarship aid, death benefits, and continuing assistance for the last 117 years according to the fund.
Contact Indira Eskieva at ieskieva@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.