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OGDEN — Weber County Sheriff's Lt. Nate Hutchinson knew he had already been shot twice, was out of ammunition and that a heavily armed gunman was waiting for him inside the house he had just escaped from.
But instead of seeking cover, he ran right back inside without hesitation.
"So the first two (shots) I felt, and I knew I was OK. And when I went in again, I figured, 'I'll feel 'em again and I'll be OK. But if I don't, then that's that.' But I certainly wasn't going to leave someone in the house laying there to die," Hutchinson said Tuesday.
On Jan. 4, 2012, six officers from the Weber-Morgan Narcotics Strike Force were shot while serving a warrant on a suspected drug house when they were ambushed by the homeowner.
Ogden police officer Jared Francom, 30, was killed in the shootout. It was Francom's unconscious body that Hutchinson went back into the house to drag out. Hutchinson was shot two more times in the process.
For risking his own life by running directly into the line of fire not once, but twice, Hutchinson was awarded Tuesday with the Congressional Badge of Bravery. He was presented with the honor by Utah Sens. Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee.
"Lt. Hutchinson is a man of honor and courage," Hatch said.
Lee called Hutchinson "a valiant law enforcement officer" who was willing to charge into the face of danger. "And he did so not just once, but again and again and again. Not only into the face of danger but even as he was being shot at and hit multiple times. This kind of bravery is so rare."
Hutchinson was proclaimed a hero on Tuesday.
But while he didn't show fear when coming face-to-face with a gunman, the same could not be said when the easy-going and shy Hutchinson was asked to speak before a room full of his peers, dignitaries and the media.
"I'd probably rather be shot again," he joked as he prepared to offer a few comments.
Hutchinson said receiving the award was a great honor. But he humbly noted he was only one part of a bigger effort that night.
"When that happened that night, truly everybody stepped up, it's not just me. Mine was just a small portion of this. Everyone else stepped up as well and ran into harm's way, and it's because we love each other," he said. "Once that call was sounded, I think every officer in Weber County showed up there. So while it's an honor for me to be here, I'm really accepting this on behalf of every officer that night who showed exceptional bravery."
Immediately after the incident, Hutchinson said he got a lot of questions about how something like that could have happened.
"I think initially to the public it was, 'How did so many guys get shot? What happened? What did you guys do wrong?' And the reality is, six guys got shot that night because we all treated each other as brothers and we all loved each other. So six people got shot because six people kept trying to help their other officers. And that's how it happened. It was officer after officer going in and trying to help their brother."
The other officers shot that night were Ogden police officers Shawn Grogan, Michael Rounkles and Kasey Burrel and Roy police officer Jason Vanderwarf. Some of the members of the strike force were present at Tuesday's ceremony.
Weber County Attorney Dee Smith, who along with Weber County Sheriff Terry Thompson, nominated Hutchinson for the award, said he was disappointed with some of the reaction from the community criticizing the officers' actions.
"A lot of heroes were in that house — a lot of heroes. They all could have cut and run and left that one officer there to perish. Instead, multiple officers put themselves in harm's way to get their fellow officers out. Two of them ended up shot in the head and unconscious on the ground," Smith said.
Asked why he went back in a second time, Hutchinson replied, "You just hope someone's a bad shot I guess."
He was shot in both arms — his right arm shattered — and in the ribs and hip. Hutchinson was actually shot a fifth time, but he doesn't count that one. The bullet struck the badge on his hip. Today, Hutchinson still has that badge with the bullet-sized indentation.
Today, Hutchinson said he's back to full duty, although his major league pitching career is over, he quipped.
Asked how he manages to stay in good spirits while talking about that day, he replied, "Cause that's life. Bad things happen in life. And you can either choose to dwell on the things that are negative or you can choose to move forward and be positive," he said.
"My kids don't get to see me play football and score a touchdown or hit a home run. And so to me, this kind of means something to me to be able to show them, and hopefully they're proud."
