Dad in Las Vegas shooting who ‘saved 30’ before being shot and firefighter gunned down giving CPR to victims
STORIES of heroism emerged today following a mass shooting at a Las Vegas country music festival that left at least 59 dead and more than 500 injured.
Survivors of the massacre have told how the number of casualties could have been much higher had it not been for the brave few who risked their lives to tend to the wounded.
One of those hailed as a hero is dad-of-three Jonathan Smith, 30, who was in the city celebrating his brother’s 43rd birthday when the attack took place.
It is believed Smith, a copy machine repairman from California, helped 30 people get out of harm’s way before getting shot in the neck as hundreds of bullets hailed down from a hotel balcony.
He suffered a fractured collarbone, a cracked rib and a bruised lung. The bullet that hit him remains lodged in his neck which doctors fear that moving it might cause more damage.
“I might have to live with this bullet for the rest of my life," Smith told the .
Many have praised Smith for his heroic actions.
"I don’t see myself that way," he said. "I would want someone to do the same for me. No one deserves to lose a life coming to a country festival."
Off-duty Arizona firefighter Kurt Fowler, who worked with the Desert Hills Fire District for five years, was shot in the leg while protecting his wife, Trina, from gunfire, a fire official confirmed.
Captain Steve Bunn told : "He's a very good guy. He's liked around here by everybody and we’re hoping for his best recovery."
A page set up for Fowler raised more than £11,000 in 24 hours.
According to the site, Fowler "was shot and seriously injured". People have commented on Fowler's Facebook page that he was shot in the leg and his his tibia and fibula "most likely shattered".
Stephen Paddock, 64, who had no criminal record, became America’s deadliest gunman after firing several machine-guns into a crowd in Las Vegas on Sunday night.
Killer Paddock was a millionaire retired accountant who flew small planes and had no criminal record, authorities said.
Many of the thousands of festival-goers attending the Route 91 Harvest festival did not realise at first that they were under attack as shots rained down from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort - with some thinking the noise was from fireworks.
Stories of heroism emerged after one of the first victims identified was male nurse Sonny Melton, 29, from Tennessee, who died saving his wife Heather.
His distraught wife said. “He grabbed me and started running when I felt him get shot in the back.
“I want everyone to know what a kindhearted, loving man he was, but at this point, I can barely breathe.”
The names and faces of those killed in the horrific massacre comes as police desperately try to figure out what motivated gunman Paddock to unleash hundreds of bullets onto the innocent crowd.
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