There aren't enough words that can express the sheer tragedy that occurred during the Las Vegas massacre that occurred this past Sunday. This week, there have been numerous accounts of heroes who risked their lives trying to protect others, and we want to honor one particular hero: Jonathan Smith.
The 30-year-old repairman and Orange County resident was celebrating his brother's birthday in Las Vegas, the Washington Post reports. Smith's brother loves country music, and his whole family had gathered to attended the weekend's country festival.
After hearing what he initially thought were fireworks, Smith realized what was going on when the act he and his family were watching ran off stage. Smith quickly told his family to run away while holding hands.
"I got a few people out of there," Smith told the Post. "You could hear the shots. It sounded like it was coming from all over Las Vegas Boulevard."
As he was getting his family to safety, Smith noticed that many people in the crowd weren't taking proper cover; others seemed confused as to what to do.
According to witnesses on the ground, Smith jumped into action, directing people toward a handicap parking lot further from Las Vegas Boulevard yelling, "Active shooter, active shooter, let’s go! We have to run."
As he tried to help a group of young women move to safety, Smith was struck with a bullet, suffering a fractured collarbone, a cracked rib and a bruised lung.
An off-duty police officer put pressure on the wound and flagged down a ride for Smith, who credits the officer with saving his life. The bullet remains lodged in Smith's neck and will likely stay there for the rest of his life, as doctors worry trying to remove it might make things worse.
Washington Post reporter Heather Long tweeted a photo of Smith, which quickly went viral:
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
Chelsea Clinton added to that tweet with a perfect one word caption:
Hero: https://t.co/2xTu44mdJX— Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) October 2, 2017
A GoFundMe has been created to assist Smith with his medical expenses; it quickly exceeded its $7,000 goal.
Jonathan Smith, you are indeed a hero. We thank you for your courage!