[Trending] 14 Heroes Who Risked Their Lives To Save Others During The Las Vegas Shooting

Just 2 nights ago, a gunman opened fire on a country music festival in Las Vegas, killing at least 59 and injuring more than 500. Despite the chaos that erupted over the crowd during the horrific event, several brave people risked their own personal safety to help others, and managed to save multiple lives.

The shooting, which is now being called the worst in modern US history, took place during the Route 91 Harvest Festival. Shots began ringing out at the end of a performance by country star Jason Aldean, which were later determined to have come from the window of a hotel room in the nearby Mandalay Bay Resort. The perpetrator, 64-year-old Stephen Paddock, shot himself an hour after the massacre, just before police could apprehend him.

In honor of all victims and their loved ones, we’ve collected the most heroic stories from the harrowing night below, and we hope you’ll read each one in memory of the sacrifices they made.

This Man Took A Bullet While Protecting My Sister From The Gunfire In Vegas

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Jonathan Smith, 30, saved ~30 people last night before he was shot in the neck. He might live with the bullet for rest of his life

When the gunshots started, Smith initially thought they were fireworks. The music kept playing, Smith and Rust recalled. But the bullets kept coming. Aldean looked at his security guards and ran off the stage. Then the lights went out.
Rust realized what was really going on and told the entire extended family — all nine of them, including kids — to hold hands and run. By then, it was a stampede.

Smith was focused on saving his young nieces, but they separated in the crowd. He says he turned back toward the stage to look for them, he saw people hunched behind a sheriff patrol car at the northwest edge of the concert lawn. Others were so frightened they didn’t know what to do. He kept shouting, “Active shooter, active shooter, let’s go! We have to run.”
He grabbed people and told them to follow him toward a handicapped parking area in the direction of the airport, away from Las Vegas Boulevard. It was a large field with several rows of vehicles. Smith and the others crouched down behind one of the last rows of cars.

“I got a few people out of there,” Smith said. “You could hear the shots. It sounded like it was coming from all over Las Vegas Boulevard.”

A few young girls weren’t fully hidden. He stood up and moved toward them to urge them to get on the ground. That’s when a bullet struck him in the neck.

Image credits: byHeatherLong

Sonny Melton With His Wife, Heather. He Was Sadly Killed While Covering His Wife During The Las Vegas Shooting.

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If every1 could please pray for my dad and every1 else at the rout 91 he jumped in front of my mom and got shot

Image credits: BeatonJakeOff

Lindsay Padgett turned her truck into a makeshift ambulance to take people to the hospital

Padgett said that as soon as the sound of gunshots subsided, she and her fiance, Mike Jay, went back to get her truck from a parking lot across the street from the venue.
“We realized there were people everywhere that needed help and on stretchers … People saw that we had a truck, so we said, ‘Fine, yeah,’ and started to pack everyone in.”
The couple filled Padgett’s truck with five wounded victims and five others who were caring for the injured.

Image credits: abcnews

Carly Krygierimmediately got her daughter on the ground and shielded her

Image credits: Carly Krygier

Former Marine Taylor Winston and his friend, Jenn Lewis found a truck with keys in it and started transporting priority victims to the hospital. In two trips, Winston and Lewis transported about two dozen people to the hospital

Image credits: Taylor Winston

Firefighter Steve Keys was shot while performing CPR on a woman at the concert.

“Prayers needed. Lot of people hit. A lot killed. Was doing CPR on a woman in the concert when I got grazed. I’m ok. But a lot of people aren’t. I am lucky. Stayed behind on the street to help people. Worked along side a lot of f*cking heroic men and women. Please, please, please say prayers.”

Image credits: Steve Keys

Los Angeles fire captain Mark McCurdy saved his sister-in-law, Jessi Presten, after she was shot and carried her back to the hotel room

Image credits: Kelly Presten McCurdy

The retired teacher Mike Cronk braved gunfire and used his shirt to stop bleeding of his friend who had been shot three times

Image credits: abc13

An off-duty firefighter Kurt Fowler was shot and seriously wounded at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas while shielding his wife from gunfire

Image credits: azfamily

Iraq War Veteran Chris Bethel Helped Direct Cops To Vegas Shooter’s Room

Image credits: Chris Bethel

Mike McGarry, a 53-year-old financial adviser from Philadelphia, said he threw himself on top of his children as shots rang out. ‘They’re 20. I’m 53. I lived a good life.’ The back of his shirt had foot marks from people who stepped over him in the crush to flee.

Image credits: washingtonpost

Source: BoredPanda