Heroes Emerge From Recent Mass Shootings

Heroes+Emerge+From+Recent+Mass+Shootings

Emma Walrath, Reporter

Within the past two weeks, there were three mass shootings in the US; the garlic festive shooting, the El Paso shooting, and the Dayton shooting. Rather than giving attention to the evil men who committed these horrific acts, we are going to focus on the acts of heroism that emerged from the gunfire. These were ordinary people doing extraordinary things in the face of certain death, showing the good still left in humanity in the wake of these tragedies.

PEOPLE

Jordan Anchondo, a mother of three, was killed in the El Paso shooting while shielding her 2 month-old baby boy, Paul. Her husband Andre shielded her and the baby making it so that baby Paul was able to survive. Their relatives describe the couple as completely devoted to their family, evident even in their last moments.

PEOPLE

David Johnson, 63, lost his life in a similar fashion, shielding his wife and 9-year-old granddaughter. This also took place in the Walmart in El Paso. “He was surrounded by 3 gun shells. That could have been 1 each for him, my aunt, and my niece,” Maria Mia Madera, his niece, wrote on social media. “He protected them from that murderer and worked as a shield. If he hadn’t have been there they wouldn’t have made it,” according to People.

TODAY

An of duty army service man saved the lives of many children during the El Paso shooting. Glendon Oakley said, “What I did was exactly what I was supposed to do. I understand it was heroic and I’m looked at as a hero for it, but that wasn’t the reason for me. I’m just focused on the kids that I could not [save] and the families. It hurts me. I feel like they were a part of me. I don’t even know the people that died or the kids that I took with me.” According to ABC news, Oakley was shopping at a nearby mall when a child ran up to him and told him there was a shooter at the Walmart. He didn’t believe at first, but then he began to hear the gunshots which caused him to jump into combat mode, grabbing as many children as he could and getting them to safety.

Kayla Miller, a nurse who was involved in the Dayton, Ohio shooting, is being praised for her bravery after she stopped to perform CPR on some of the injured victims. This was going on while the shooter was still active, putting her life in great danger as to save others.

TODAY