MUSKOGEE, Okla. — An 11-year-old from Oklahoma was recently recognized for his bravery and heroism after he saved the lives of two people on the same day.
On December 9, sixth-grader Davyon Johnson showed that not all heroes wear capes when he performed the Heimlich maneuver on a classmate who was choking on a bottle cap and then, later the same day, rescued an elderly woman from a burning house.
On Tuesday night, representatives from the Muskogee Police Department, Muskogee County Sheriff’s Office and Muskogee Public Schools honored Davyon as a hero. The police department presented Davyon with an honorary officer certificate, the sheriff’s department denoted him an honorary deputy and the school board presented him with the heroism award.
The school’s principal, Latricia Dawkins, called Davyon a “dual hero.”
“He has always indicated that he wants to be an EMT,” Dawkins said. “So he got to put that desire into action and immediately saved that young man. He is just a kind soul and well-liked by his peers and staff alike.”
Recalling the choking incident at the school, Dawkins said a student was filling his water bottle and trying to loosen the cap with his mouth when the cap slipped down his throat.
The choking student stumbled into a nearby classroom, where Davyon happened to be, she said.
“Davyon immediately sprinted over and did the Heimlich maneuver,” Dawkins said. “From the account of the witnesses, when he did it the bottle cap popped out.”
Later that evening, Davyon saw a woman’s house on fire and helped her off her porch to get to her vehicle.
“It was a disabled lady and she was walking out of her house,” Davyon said. “She was on her porch. But I thought, being a good citizen, I would cross and help her get into her truck and leave.”
He said the back of the house was on fire, “but it eventually got to the front of the house.”
Davyon’s mother, LaToya Johnson, said she’s not surprised he behaved the way he did. She said her brother, Wendell Johnson, is an emergency medical technician.
“I’m just a proud mom,” she said.
