The tragic events of the shooting in Las Vegas caused by Stephen Paddock will be with all Americans for many years. Many of us are still in shock at the news, and as the dust settles, we’re hearing stories of the heroic acts of some of the victims. One such hero is Jonathan Smith. He was at the Route 91 Country Music Festival celebrating his brothers birthday when all hell broke loose. His first instinct was not to save himself but to save others. According to the Washington Post, he is credited with saving multiple people amid all of the chaos before being shot in the neck and injured himself.
He is a copy machine repairman from Buena Park, CA with three kids. He was ready to enjoy a weekend with his family when it took a tragic turn because Stephen Paddock smashed two windows and fired off a firearm killing 59 people and wounding over 500. Smith is among the injured, but before that happened, he managed to rescue about 30 people.
He initially focused on his nieces, but they were unfortunately separated. When he turned around to find them, he saw others that seemed lost and panicked. He immediately took charge and directed those people towards a handicapped parking area where they were able to hide behind the cars. When asked about the rescues he was incredibly humble simply saying that he managed to get a few people out. He told the Post, “You could hear the shots. It sounded like it was coming from all over Las Vegas Boulevard.”
He got injured because he noticed several young girls weren’t completely hidden, so he stood up to move them which is when he was shot in the neck. He said he was unable to feel anything in his neck and had a warm sensation in his arm. He eventually made his way to Sunrise Hospital where he found out he had a fractured collarbone, cracked rib, and bruised lung. The bullet is still currently in his neck as doctors are worried it may cause more damage if it is removed.
Jonathan Smith, 30, saved ~30 people last night before he was shot in the neck. He might live w/the bullet for rest of his life. #vegasstrip pic.twitter.com/6hLujXWe51
— Heather Long (@byHeatherLong) October 2, 2017
His family has set up a GoFundMe page to help with the medical bills. After the chaos died down a little bit, he was thankfully able to reunite with the rest of his family that was attending the event, and they are all safe. On the GoFundMe page, his family states that they feel blessed to have someone so heroic and selfless in their lives.
The upside to such a horrifying event is that you hear stories of regular people stepping up and looking out for their fellow citizens. While Paddock may have been demonstrating the worst of human nature from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay, people like Smith were showing us the best of human nature. No matter the circumstances, good will always rise in the face of evil and negativity. While there are plenty of bad people in the world, there seem to be more good people.
Watch His Story Below!
WATCH: Meet the heroes that helped save strangers in need during the Las Vegas shooting pic.twitter.com/cM5MumrRMb
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) October 3, 2017
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Source: CBS News
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