Sacramento teen who drowned while trying to rescue brother honored with Carnegie Medal

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    SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KCRA) — A Sacramento teenager who died while trying to rescue his younger brother is being awarded for his heroism nearly two years after his death.

Amari Quarles is among 17 people being honored with the Carnegie Medal for Heroism. The award is the highest honor for civilian heroism.

On June 4, 2023, 15-year-old Amari and his family were spending the day at Sand Cove Park along the Sacramento River. Amari and his brother, then 13-year-old Elijah Sashe, were playing football along the bank when the ball went into the water. Elijah went into the river after it, but struggled to return to shore. That’s when Amari jumped in.

Amari positioned himself behind his brother, pushing him to keep him out of a stronger current nearby.

“I know Amari did get to Elijah at one point and told him you know, one of us is going to have to go under and I’m going to make sure, you know, it’s not you, you know, being the bigger brother,” his father, Jason Sashe, said.

The boys’ stepmother also jumped in, trying to help. Nearby boaters helped get two of them out of the water, but Amari was unable to get to safety. His body was later recovered, not far from where he went into the water.

“When Amari was going into the water, he actually pushed my wife’s hand up as to say, you know, you’re not going to come down here with me either. Like, this was his last bit of strength to make sure that he did whatever he could to even help her out,” Sashe said.

The Carnegie Medal is given to those in the United States and Canada who place themselves at risk of extreme danger while trying to save the lives of others.

Amari is the youngest recipient of the award in this round.

His father told KCRA 3 he wants to share Amari’s story of selflessness and heroism to schools across the country.

“This is something I’ve never thought about doing, but it feels more like a calling now because of what happened with him,” Sashe said. “I would just like to make these kids aware that their life is important, you know, the same way that Amari’s is. And you just never want any family to experience this pain.”

Amari was a student at Natomas High School. Sashe said he was an honor roll student and a high school athlete. They have created a scholarship in his honor, intended for graduating seniors at Natomas High School.

Other individuals honored with a Carnegie Medal this round include a man who positioned himself in between his wife and an attacking shark, a man who took down a shooter in a Houston bar, a passerby who pulled a 5-year-old girl out of a burning house and two officers who, in separate incidents, pulled people to safety after they had fallen through ice.

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