LAS VEGAS (KYW/CNN) – A 53-year-old survivor of the Las Vegas mass shooting is being hailed as a hero for choosing to protect younger people with his own body.
Financial planner Mike McGarry is a country music fan from Philadelphia. He attended the Jason Aldean concert Sunday with his wife.
When gunfire started, McGarry jumped into action, lying on top of younger people and using his body to protect them from any bullets.
"I'm 53. They're in their 20s, you know. I lived a decent life so far. I'd rather them live longer than me. I just dove on top of like 14 people, pulled a chair over them or a table. I said, ‘I'm a lot older than you guys, so,' tried to lighten up the moment a little bit,’” McGarry said.
McGarry’s actions earned him national praise. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders singled out his heroism during her Monday press briefing.
But McGarry says he’s no hero. He considers his wife, a nurse who put a tourniquet on someone who had been shot, the truly heroic one.
“Literally, I think anybody would have done the same thing. Listen, we're all just people. We’re trying to help other people, and I don't think I did anything spectacular,” McGarry said.
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