Heroes of the Orlando Shooting Show the Good in Humanity
Out of the senseless murder of 49 people in Orlando have sprung stories of everyday people who became heroes.
The former Marine working as a bouncer at Pulse nightclub saved between 60-70 people, but he is one of many who did what they could to help others amidst the chaos.
Josh McGill fled the scene after hearing gunshots, but soon noticed a man, Pulse bartender Rodney Sumter Jr., who had been shot in the back. McGill grabbed Sumter and pulled him to safety behind a car where he took off his shirt and applied to Sumter to curb the blood flow.
Christopher Hansen is another man who came to the aid of others when he carried a woman who was shot to safety.
Ray Rivera, who works as a DJ under name DJ Infinite at Pulse, came to the aid of a woman who had taken cover under his booth along with another man who wound up running away on his own.
Edward Sotomayor Jr., known by the nickname Tophat Eddie, died trying to protect his boyfriend from the gunfire.
Samuel Maldonado, who was hiding under a table with his boyfriend, covered the mouth of a woman so her screams would not be heard and put them at risk of being targets as shooter Omar Mateen came toward them. Mateen wound up turning around and shooting people he'd already hit.
Single mother Brenda Marquez McCool, 49, died while dancing at the club with one of her 11 children. A two-time cancer survivor, she posted a video shortly before the shooting began. After the gunfire broke out, McCool reportedly pushed her son away so he could run to safety. He wound up surviving and another one of her kids said, "She's a hero. She's a mother of 11. [She’s] just a superhero." A GoFundMe page has been set up for her.
There are others who've tried to help, as well. There are the comfort dogs who made their way to Orlando to assist the grief-stricken, as well as the scores of people who turned out to donate blood in the aftermath of the shooting.