Gov. Robert Bentley on Thursday recognized Lt. Corey Boothe and Officer Spencer Youmans of the Opp Police Department as nominees for the 2016 Alabama Legislative Medal of Honor for Law Enforcement award.

The recognition was before a joint session of the Alabama House and Senate in the statehouse Thursday morning. The award is the state’s highest law enforcement award for extraordinary courage in the line of duty.

On July 16, 2015, a vehicle crashed on U.S. Hwy. 84 West in Opp. The driver left the scene, stopped a Department of Transportation truck, and displayed a handgun. The truck driver was able to drive away from the individual, who continued running toward highway workers and an occupied church.

Lt. Boothe and Officer Youmans responded to the initial call related to the accident, and continued following the driver. When they saw him approach the workers and the church, the officers positioned themselves in front o the individual and approached him. The individual screamed and behaved in an incoherent manner, waving the gun and threatening others. Ultimately, the driver opened fire on the officers. The officers returned fire, striking the individual.

The resolution nominating them read, in part, that the officers “demonstrated immense courage, diligence, and quick response in a highly dangerous situation.”

Officer Joey Brown from the Orange Beach Police Department was awarded the 2016 Medal of Honor for Law Enforcement for his role in rescuing six people whose boat stuck a submerged jetty and became stranded on the Perdido Pass jetty wall with extremely rough seas. Brown put his own life at risk to help rescue them.