Niagara County Deputy Sheriff Joe Tortorella is going to the White House to receive the Presidential Medal of Valor.
The presentation will be made by President Obama on Monday. Tortorella is one of only five law enforcement members nationwide to be honored this year. He was chosen by leaders of the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney General's office.
The award comes for Tortorella's actions in April last year when he responded to a 911 call after a man had shot his parents. The deputy put himself between the house and a nearby school as the suspect began shooting. Tortorella was shot but saved by his protective vest. He ordered the school be put into lock-down mode, the same school where his children attended and his wife was a teacher.
The National Sheriffs' Association made the announcement in a new release on Thursday.
