DIXON, Ill. (WTVO) — A collective thank you from students, staff and the community was given on Tuesday, as the school resource officer who stopped a school shooting in Dixon was honored.

The road outside of Dixon High School will now be known as “Mark Dallas Way.”

A student with a gun tried to get into the gym five years ago during graduation practice. He fired in the lobby. Dallas heard the shot and chased the suspect out of the building, firing back.

Dallas said that his training helped him that day, and he believes that all schools should have school resource officers.

“Our community’s been so supportive of me and my family. It just, I wish we could push more of the training and requirements,” Dallas said. “Our politicians to get the funding to put an SRO in every school, to train our officers how you need to respond to situations like this and continue to do that.”

Tuesday was “Mark Dallas Day” in the State of Illinois. Then-Governor Bruce Rauner made the proclamation in 2018.