The Lower Kuskokwim School District Board of Education, in their Friday morning meeting, recognized Harry Nevak for his role in stopping a school shooting attempt in his Southwestern Alaska Village of Newtok.
Forty-five-year-old Harry Nevak is the on-site technician for the Ayaprun school in Newtok. He says he was on his way to work on the morning of September 11, when he noticed a former student, nearby the school. Nevak says the teenager was holding a .22 Long Rifle. Thinking he was going off to do some target practice at the river, Nevak left his vehicle and walked into the school driveway, but then when he noticed something.
“He followed me and right there and then I knew he was going to go inside the building, and then I grabbed on his chest. Then when the rifle went up this way I followed his arm and took away the rifle.”
After Nevak secured him, he says the teenager mentioned to him in Yupik that he wanted to hunt, or pissuq, the principal, who is Grant Kashatok.
Then Nevak says someone came out of the school to retrieve the rifle and ran to find the local Village Police Officer after alerting the faculty.
Later on, troopers arrived in Newtok to arrest the minor.
Friday morning, around 20 representatives gathered at the District Office for their morning meeting. At the beginning of the meeting, Board Chair Susan Murphy presented a proclamation of recognition to Harry Nevak.
“Now therefore the Lower Kuskokwim School District Board of Education does hereby proclaim Harry Nevak of Newtok, Alaska is recognized as a hero in averting another possible school shooting, and the possible loss of life, dated this 30th day of October.”
Nevak does not consider himself a hero, he says he was reacting only on instinct at the time, doing what he thought was best, it was only after the incident he considered what might have happened if he wasn’t there.
“Like I said I just wanted to stop him from making a very big mistake. But then after he was detained, I started thinking about my kids since they go to the same school.”
Nevak has two kids who are attending the school, one 13 and one 12 years old. Never says he knows the teenager well and still cares for him despite the incident.
Harry’s wife Myra Nevak says she heard about what happened later on when she heard the school was put on lockdown. She says she was worried for her family. She expressed she was proud of her husband but said she also could have done without the worry. For now, Mr. and Mrs. Nevak said they will take this opportunity to do some shopping in the hub community.
Newtok is a village of just over 350 people in Southwest that is furthest along in its efforts to relocate before erosion washes their village out into the Baird Inlet just outside of the Bering Sea. This time of year, some people are still hunting for food to put away for winter, it’s a common sight in a village in this region to see people handling, or walking around outside with guns.
According to Everytown Gun Safety, there has been over a 150 school shootings in America since 2013, over a third of which happened this year alone.
Charles Enoch is a reporter at KYUK in Bethel.
