WEST SACRAMENTO, California — California Highway Patrol Officer Paul Vue received the Governor’s State Employee Medal of Valor after officials said he provided lifesaving medical aid to two wounded children during the response to an active-shooter call at an Oroville school.
The California Highway Patrol announced that seven CHP officers were recognized during a June 2026 ceremony at the CHP Academy in West Sacramento for acts of extraordinary heroism.
Arriving within 92 seconds
According to CHP, Vue responded on Dec. 4, 2024, to reports of an active shooter at Feather River Adventist School in Oroville. CHP said he arrived just 92 seconds after dispatch.
The agency said Vue confirmed the threat had been neutralized, located two wounded children, ages 5 and 6, and immediately began treating both with emergency medical supplies from his patrol vehicle.
CHP said Vue continued care until paramedics arrived, and that medical personnel later credited his actions with preventing a collapsed lung and helping save both children’s lives.
State recognition for front-line bravery
The Governor’s State Employee Medal of Valor recognizes state employees whose actions go beyond the normal call of duty. CHP said Vue received the Gold Medal of Valor, also described by CalHR as a Special Act Award, for extraordinary heroism performed at great personal risk in an effort to save human life.
“The seven officers recognized today went far beyond that call, placing others’ safety and well-being above their own,” CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee said in the agency announcement.
For Support Law Enforcement readers, Vue’s recognition is a reminder that the first patrol officer through the door may have to shift instantly from threat assessment to lifesaving medical care. The official account also shows why trauma supplies, fast response and calm decision-making matter before the ambulance reaches the scene.
ThinBlueNews is keeping the child victims’ identities out of this story and relying only on facts publicly released by CHP and state officials.
Sources reviewed
- California Highway Patrol: “Seven CHP Officers Earn Governor’s State Employee Medal of Valor for Extraordinary Acts of Heroism”
- Office of Governor Gavin Newsom: statewide Medal of Valor ceremony announcement
- California Department of Human Resources: 2026 Governor’s Medal of Valor recipients
- California Highway Patrol source photo of Officer Paul Vue
Editorial note: ThinBlueNews used official agency/state sources and an official CHP award photo. This article avoids graphic details, does not identify the injured children beyond the ages released by CHP, and does not create fake AI incident imagery.