A 20-year-old Peoria woman who was fatally shot in 2024 while trying to assist a neighbor in a domestic violence incident has been honored for her actions by the Carnegie Hero Fund.
Jakaiden Rynearson is one of the 16 latest North American recipients of the Carnegie Medal, awarded to people who “enter extreme danger while saving or attempting to save the lives of others.”
Awarded quarterly, the Carnegie Medal is the highest honor for civilian heroism in the U.S. and Canada.
Rynearson was shot multiple times when she tried to help Zaneta Winters, 35, who had been shot in the head by her estranged partner Stevie Linwood in the doorway of her residence in the 3400 block of North El Vista.
After hearing the initial shot, Rynearson came out of her house across the street and jogged toward Winters’ house, calling out to ask if Winters was OK and for someone to call 911.
As Rynearson entered the yard and approached the front door, Linwood emerged from the side of the residence and shot her repeatedly.
Winters died in the following days, and Rynearson succumbed to her injuries more than two months later. Linwood was later convicted on two counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Recipients of the Carnegie Medal, or their survivors, receive a financial grant in an undisclosed amount. The medal has been awarded to nearly 10,600 people since its inception in 1904.
