Heroism. Most would say that a hero is someone who fights crime, has supernatural powers, or wears an “S” on his chest. But what if I told you that on Monday, August 12, a hero wore a T-shirt and jeans? What if I told you he had no super powers, except the strength of a football player and the nobility of a Knight? Lastly, what if I told you he is a sophomore at East Noble High School and walks the halls as an ordinary student?
That’s right. 15-year-old Kevin Williams, 10, is considered a hero after saving a 5-year-old boy from his burning home. After arriving home from East Noble’s football practice, Williams was notified by his neighbor, Lisa Shepherd, 27, that her son, Damion Shepherd, 5, was trapped inside a burning bedroom after her home had caught fire during a thunderstorm. “I didn’t really think much. I just ran out the door,” said Williams, explaining his initial reaction. He ran to Shepherd’s home and broke two windows in an effort to find Damion. After hearing his cries in a smoke-filled bedroom, he called to the 5-year-old, and pulled his “little buddy” out.
“When the Fire Department came, they clapped for me, and said it was a big thing that I did,” explained Williams, continuing his story. “It didn’t really hit me, what I had done, until I was at the hospital.” Williams suffered just a slight sprain to his right wrist, and, when asked how it felt to punch out the windows, he replied, “I didn’t really feel much. I was just in the zone.”
Luke Amstutz, head coach of the East Noble Knights football team, commented on his cornerback, saying, “It makes me awfully proud, even more than a coach, but as a person, that someone in the East Noble community would display this kind of selflessness and choose to do the right thing. I believe that 75 percent of people, not just teenagers, would have stood by and waited for the fire department to arrive. It really shows that Kevin cares for other people and puts others before himself.”
In true superhero fashion, Williams described his actions by saying, “I did what I needed to do.” Now, Kevin and his buddy, Damion, can continue to play football and hide-and-go-seek together, thanks to Williams’ heroic actions. “I just hope that anyone would do what I did if they were in my shoes.”