Nebraska Engineering student earns heroic honor from Lincoln leaders

Allan Wickard, a UNL senior majoring in mechanical engineering, received a Citizen Meritorious Conduct Award in November 2008 from Chief Thomas K. Casady of the Lincoln Police Department and Lincoln Mayor Chris Beutler, citing Wickard's "selfless acts" during an incident last spring. In the early hours of April 13, 2008, Wickard was driving by a convenience store near East Campus when shots were fired in the store's parking lot with a crowd surrounding a fight. The first LPD officer on the scene faced resistance from the parties involved. Wickard stopped to assist the officer and, although the officer advised him to stay back and keep safe, Wickard ultimately served as "a very reliable witness," according to the police report. The documentation also noted that "(Wickard's) mere presence helped keep the hostile crowd at bay while the officer took the suspect into custody."

"I would want somebody to do the same for me if I were in that position," Wickard said. "I'm very glad that nobody was injured in the altercation."

Wickard is the son of Mark and Laura Wickard of Bridgeport, Neb. Mark Wickard said his son, an Eagle scout, has always been the type of person to care for others.