Three Years Ago Today: Die-Hard LSU Fan Terminated NAS Pensacola Terrorist

Three years ago today, on the morning of December 6, 2019, a terrorist attack occurred at Naval Air Station Pensacola. The terrorist, an aviation student from Saudi Arabia, killed three people, injured eight others including two sheriff deputies, and carried enough ammo to kill scores more.

When the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office was alerted, Sgt. Mike Hoyland, a die-hard LSU fan, acted quickly. Sgt. Hoyland led Deputy Matthew Housam and Deputy Matthew Keebler into the front of the API/IFS Building on NAS Pensacola. They did not know how many terrorists were located inside, where they were located, or how they were armed. The three men knew only that there was at least one active shooter inside, and more people would die if they did not act quickly. The three men immediately went inside. Sgt. Hoyland spotted the terrorist, was fired upon, and returned fire terminating the terrorist. Deputies Housam and Keebler joined in terminating the terrorist.












Sgt. Mike Hoyland (right) is a die-hard Tiger fan and a BAMF.
Proud of this LSU fan for risking his life to save the lives of others.

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Sheriff Morgan awarded the Medal of Valor to the five deputies, one sergeant and two NAS Pensacola Captains. The Medal of Valor is the highest honor for bravery a public safety officer can receive.

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"These men went above and beyond the call of duty."

It's amazing to me that some people want to defund the police.

He was interviewed on December 4, 2020. You can hear what happened on that day:

"We went in to win."



Congressional Badge of Bravery (CBOB)

On December 6, 2019, a terrorist attack occurred at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. A member of the Royal Saudi Air Force methodically began shooting and killing members of the U.S. Navy as they were reporting for classes. Prior to the intervention by members of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the assailant succeeded in killing three service members.

Deputies Jonathan Glass and Matthew Tinch were the first to arrive. In the exchange of gunfire with the assailant, both deputies were wounded—Deputy Glass in the upper arm and Deputy Tinch in the knee. After shooting the deputies, the assailant continued to systematically shoot into offices, wounding eight other civilian and naval personnel as he proceeded to the second floor.

Deputy Abelardo Lopez entered the building and exchanged gunfire with the assailant at close range in a stairwell. He struck the assailant twice in the upper chest before his firearm jammed. Deputy Lopez then sought cover as he attempted to clear his weapon as the assailant continued to fire in his direction. Sergeant Michael Hoyland, Deputy Matthew Housam, and Deputy Matthew Keebler entered the building through the front entrance as Deputy Lopez sought cover. They were armed with two long guns and semi-automatic handguns and immediately fired at the assailant from a distance of over 30 yards. They exchanged gunfire and fatally wounded the assailant.

The courageous actions of Sergeant Hoyland and Deputies Housam, Keebler, Lopez, Tinch, and Glass to respond to this active shooter and engage him quickly ended his ongoing assault of personnel within the Naval Air Station. Without their decisive actions, additional personnel in and around the facility would have been at risk of serious injury or death.