Courage in the Face of Danger

On November 20, 2017, Jeff Powell, central office technician, NCTC was responding to a routine call in Scottsville, Kentucky. The customers at this residence were a husband and wife with whom the technician was familiar, and he had no worries when entering the home. The technician was carrying out his typical equipment check and called in to the main office to speak with Charlie Buck, an engineer aid on staff, to change ports on equipment. While on the phone, Powell overheard arguing between the husband and wife coming from the next room. The husband went to his truck and re- entered the home with a gun.

Shots were fired from the room where the argument was taking place, and bullets went through the wall—barely missing Powell. While still on the phone, Powell asked Buck to call 911. Buck kept Powell on the desk phone and used his cell phone to call 911 and could hear the events taking place. The man entered the room where Powell was working and pointed the gun at him. Powell raised his hands and called the man by name, asking him not to shoot saying, “It’s me, David. It’s Jeff. Put the gun down. Don’t shoot.” The man fired, striking Powell in the shoulder. The bullet hit his clavicle and lodged in his back. It is uncertain if the shooter suffered from dementia, PTSD, had been drinking or all three. As soon as the man shot Powell, he realized what he had done and was remorseful. The shooter also called 911, let them know what he had done, and surrendered.

Powell kept Buck on the phone the entire time while continuing to try to diffuse the grave situation that was unfolding. Buck heard the entire event and kept his cool while trying to get help for Powell. Paramedics arrived on the scene, and Powell was taken by air to a Nashville hospital for treatment. Doctors decided not to remove the bullet at the time because they were hopeful it would move to the surface for easier removal. One week later, Powell was continuing to bleed, so he had surgery to remove the bullet. However, they could not get to the bullet, so they had to wait two-three weeks to remove it.

With more surgery, therapy and the physical pain he went through, Powell endured a very traumatic experience, and doing day-to-day work activities, such as responding to a service ticket, are emotionally taxing.

Powell’s bravery and quick thinking saved his own life that day. He was millimeters from becoming a fatality. All the while, he has kept his spirits up and has even helped other employees here who had emotional trauma from the incident. Powell thinks if anyone else had been in that position, the man may not have stopped shooting. Powell calmed him down and believes because the shooter knew him, Powell was able to get him to come to his senses before firing again. NCTC is extremely thankful to have Jeff Powell with us, and I believe he was heroic in not only his brave actions on that day, but also in the way he has handled the situation in the days and months afterward. Powell states that, “excellence means doing your job well, being a respected team member, having the self-respect knowing that you give your all and doing your job to the best of your ability. I think that’s what excellence is.”

Excellence means doing your job well, being a respected team member, having the self-respect knowing that you give your all and doing your job to the best of your ability. I think that’s what excellence is.

Powell continues to have medical issues and has had several surgeries since. He will never be fully healed physically or emotionally, but his faith has played an instrumental role in his recovery process. And for these reasons, he is well-deserving of the NTCA Heroism Excellence Award.