As many of you know, there were, unfortunately, two mass shootings that took place over the weekend. The first shooting took place at a Walmart in El Paso, TX at the Cielo Vista Mall.
While many continue to mourn the loss of the lives that were taken too soon. Glendon Oakley, an off-duty Army serviceman is also being celebrated for his heroism as he helped to save the lives of children at the mall.
According to ABC News, on Sunday, Glendon talked about his selfless act and said, “What I did was exactly what I was supposed to do. I understand it was heroic and I’m looked at as a hero for it, but that wasn’t the reason for me. I’m just focused on the kids that I could not [save] and the families. It hurts me. I feel like they were a part of me. I don’t even know the people that died or the kids that I took with me.”
On Saturday, Glendon was shopping at the mall when a child notified him that there was an active shooter. Once he became fully aware of what was going on, he quickly went into action to help save all of the children he could.
However, he doesn’t want the media’s attention to focus heroic act, but on the lives that were taken due to a senseless act of violence.
He continued to say, I did that because that’s what I was trained to do. That is what the military has taught me to do. “But I really want you guys to focus on the people that are actually grieving through this. Yes, I’m grieving, but I’m not the one that lost a family member. Yes, it feels like I have lost one. But they are the ones that need to be the [focus].”
Glendon declined to offer details about what happened as he called this tragic incident one of the worst things that he has been through in his life.
As we previously mentioned, there about 20 lives that were taken and 26 people that we injured due to the shooting.
The shooting is now being investigated as domestic terrorism, and the shooter, Patrick Crusius, is being held on a charge of capital murder.
Check out the full interview below:
Source: https://abcnews.go.com/US/army-solider-hailed-hero-el-paso-shooting-worst/story?id=64773030
