Jaden DeShawn Peterkin

Jaden DeShawn Peterkin helped rescue Russell D. Cox from burning, Fayetteville, North Carolina, April 11, 2021. Cox, 88, was lying on the kitchen floor of a burning house after fire broke out at the rear of the house. Jaden, 17, high school student, who lived nearby, saw a glow in the sky and went to the scene with his father to investigate. Upon learning that Cox remained inside, the two ran into the garage and to a door that opened into a hallway; Jaden stayed near the door while his father ran down the hallway and into the kitchen. The father was unable to locate Cox and after encountering flames and smoke, he and Jaden exited the house. Informed that Cox was in the kitchen, Jaden and his father reentered the garage and moved to the door. The father got down on his hands and knees and crawled inside to the kitchen, while Jaden remained at the door again. The father found Cox unconscious on the floor amid smoke and flames throughout the kitchen. The father grasped Cox underneath the arms and pulled him back to the hallway, where Jaden helped him move Cox into the garage. Jaden and his father placed Cox on a small rug and dragged Cox out of the garage and into the driveway. Cox sustained smoke inhalation and serious burns to his legs and back; he died the next day. Jaden, who inhaled smoke and experienced an irritated throat, was examined at a hospital. He recovered.