AMARILLO, Texas — Hayden McAdams was off duty when bullets cut through a crowd on Amarillo’s Polk Street. Instead of running from danger, the former Potter County corrections officer rushed toward it — actions that later earned him one of Texas’ highest law enforcement honors.
On Jan. 26, McAdams and coworkers were leaving a downtown club after a birthday celebration when a man armed with an AR-15 opened fire, Amarillo-Globe News reports. Nine people were wounded in the attack.
McAdams took cover, then saw the gunman flee. With victims bleeding around him, he jumped into action. One of them was his coworker, Corrections Officer Hahn. A belt being used as a tourniquet wasn’t enough.
McAdams sprinted several blocks to retrieve medical gear from his vehicle. An off-duty firefighter drove him back to the scene, where more people had been hit, according to Amarillo-Globe News. McAdams applied a tourniquet, recognized early signs of shock and gave up his coat to help keep Hahn warm. Working alongside others, he carried the wounded to ambulances.
None of the nine victims died.
“Honestly, the adrenaline just took over,” McAdams said. “I saw people who needed help and did what I could. At the time, I wasn’t thinking about anything other than getting people to safety.”
Recognition for quick action
In September, McAdams was named CLEAT Region 5 Officer of the Year. Gov. Greg Abbott presented the award during the union’s regional ceremony on Sept. 6, and days later, Sheriff Brian Thomas and Potter County Law Enforcement Association President Jonathan Gates honored him again in Amarillo.
“Because of Officer McAdams, people did not die that night,” Gates said. “He wasn’t even on duty. He could have frozen, but instead he relied on his training. That’s the kind of officer every agency hopes for.”
Sheriff Thomas called McAdams’ actions a reflection of the department’s values.
“These are corrections officers who can’t even carry weapons off duty, and yet he ran into danger to pull people to safety,” Thomas said. “That’s the kind of character you can’t train — it’s who he is.”
A lesson carried forward
McAdams, who also completed EMT and fire academy coursework, said the recognition was unexpected.
“It feels surreal, honestly,” he said. “To have the governor call you an example of what it means to be a Texan — I didn’t expect that at all. I’ll carry this story for the rest of my life.”
Now working in his family’s business, McAdams said the lesson from that night remains simple:
“Do the right thing, even when no one’s watching,” he said.
