ACTIVISM AND INNOVATION

Daniel Mead

Police officer

On the terrible morning of October 29, 2018, when a white supremacist shooter murdered 11 people attending Shabbat services at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue, local police officer Daniel Mead was the first to arrive at the scene. He confronted the shooter as he attempted to leave the synagogue, forcing him to retreat back inside, where he eventually surrendered. In the process, Mead came face-to-face with the shooter, who fired at him through a glass door, badly wounding him in the hand. Hailed for his bravery in the aftermath of the shooting, Mead’s sister Diane said that she'd asked him, “Dan, do you understand that you’re a national hero?" Replied her brother: "I’m just Danny Mead from Brookline.” Mead is now undergoing therapy to regain the use of his hand, with a GoFundMe page aiming to raise $50,000 towards his medical expenses. (Photo: GoFundMe / Screenshot)