MY HEART WAS WITH THEIR FAMILIES FAMILIES.
FAMILIES. >>> EL PASO RESIDENTS HONORED
THE SHOOTING VICTIMS AT A VIGIL
YESTERDAY.
YESTERDAY. NBC NEWS NOW IS IN EL PASO
TALKING TO COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN SEEING AND
HEARING THERE.
HEARING THERE. I CAN ONLY IMAGINE HOW
HEARTBROKEN YOU MUST BE.
>> ALISON, IT’S ABSOLUTELY
HEARTBREAKING AND DEVASTATING.
AND HERE ON THE GROUND WE’RE
LEARNING MORE ABOUT THOSE 22
VICTIMS WHO LOST THEIR LIVES
SATURDAY HERE IN EL PASO.
BUT AS YOU JUST HEARD IN DAYTON,
WE’RE ALSO HEARING STORIES OF
THESE SURVIVORS, THESE TRUE
HEROES, REALLY, WHO SPRANG INTO
ACTION TO HELP SAVE COMPLETE
STRANGERS.
STRANGERS. GONZALEZ IS ONE OF THOSE HEROES
WHO WAS AT THAT WALMART SHOPPING
FOR GROCERIES WHEN SHE SAW THE
SHOOTER ENTER.
SHOOTER ENTER. SHE’S A TEACHER WHO WORKS AT A
LOCAL MILITARY BASE.
SHE’S ALSO MARRIED TO AN ARMY
CAPTAIN.
CAPTAIN. SHE SAYS THOSE EXPERIENCES
HELPED PREPARE HER FOR THIS
MOMENT.
MOMENT. >> WE WALK INTO THE WALMART, ME
AND MY MOTHER, AS USUAL, JUST A
NORMAL DAY.
NORMAL DAY. AND THAT’S WHEN WE HEARD THREE
GUNSHOTS.
GUNSHOTS. SO I TOLD MY MOM TO WAIT HERE
AND SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON IN
FRONT.
FRONT. THAT’S WHEN I SAW THE SHOOTER
WITH A BLACK SHIRT, KHAKI PANTS
AND WITH A GUN.
HE WAS GOING TOWARDS A CHILD, IF
I CAN REMEMBER, MAYBE 7, 8 YEARS
OLD.
OLD. THAT’S WHEN I STARTED TO SHOUT
OUT TO EVERYBODY TO FOLLOW ME
AND TO GO TO THIS EXIT DOOR
WHICH IS IN BACK OF WALMART.
AND THAT’S WHERE I WAS PUSHING
EVERYBODY OUT.
EVERYBODY OUT. LIKE WE NEED TO GET OUT.
WE NEED TO GET OUT.
PEOPLE WERE, YOU KNOW, GOING
CRAZY LOOKING AT THEIR PHONES,
NOT KNOWING WHERE TO GO.
AND I WAS JUST BEING PATIENT AND
VERY CALM AND JUST GETTING
EVERYONE OUT AS SOON AS
POSSIBLE.
POSSIBLE. >> AND DID YOU THINK THAT YOU
WERE GOING TO DIE INSIDE THAT
WALMART?
WALMART? >> YES.
>> YES. BECAUSE I WAS VERY CLOSE TO THE
SHOOTER.
SHOOTER. YES, I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO
DIE.
DIE. I EVEN CALLED MY WIFE AND I TOLD
HER, IF I DON’T MAKE IT, I WANT
YOU TO KNOW THAT I LOVE YOU.
AND I TELL MY FAMILY AND MY
NIECES THAT I LOVE THEM, AND I
TOLD HER, I NEED TO HANG UP.
AND THAT WAS IT.
>> DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MANY
LIVES YOU SAVED?
>> YES, I DON’T KNOW HOW MANY,
BUT --
BUT -- >> IT WAS A LOT.
>> A LOT.
>> A LOT. >> AND SOME OF THOSE PEOPLE HAVE
ACTUALLY FOUND YOU ONLINE AND --
>> YES.
>> YES. >> WHAT HAVE THEY BEEN SAYING TO
YOU?
YOU? >> THAT I’M AN ANGEL.
THAT I’M BLESSED.
THAT IF I WASN’T THERE, I DON’T
KNOW WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED.
>> LET’S END WITH JUST ONE THING
THAT YOU -- ONE MESSAGE THAT YOU
WOULD LIKE TO SEND THE WORLD
FROM RIGHT HERE IN EL PASO.
>> WHAT I WANT TO SAY IS THAT
FOR THE FAMILY MEMBERS WHO LOST
THEIR FAMILY, I WISH I COULD DO
MORE, BUT I COULDN’T.
>> ALISON, THAT’S WHAT’S SO
HEARTBREAKING ABOUT HEARING
THESE SURVIVOR STORIES.
WE ALL KNOW THAT THEY DID SO
MUCH, MORE THAN MANY OF US WOULD
BE CAPABLE OF IN THAT MOMENT.
AND, YET, AS YOU JUST HEARD, SHE
STILL FEELS LIKE SHE DIDN’T DO
ENOUGH.
ENOUGH. >> I JUST CAN’T EVEN IMAGINE
WAKING UP TODAY AND THINKING
ABOUT THAT AND REMEMBERING THAT
EXPERIENCE.
EXPERIENCE. MUST FEEL LIKE A NIGHTMARE FOR
SO MANY PEOPLE.
YOU WERE AT A VIGIL FOR THE
VICTIMS LAST NIGHT.
COULD YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT
WHAT WENT ON THERE AND WHAT THAT
WAS LIKE?
WAS LIKE? >> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. IF THERE IS A RAY OF HOPE IN ALL
OF THIS, IT’S PROBABLY WHAT I
SAW AT THIS VIGIL LAST NIGHT.
THERE WERE COMPLETE STRACHBLGNGE
PEOPLE FROM THIS COMMUNITY
PRAYING TOGETHER.
PRAYING TOGETHER. LED BY CLERGY FROM THE
INTERFAITH COMMUNITY HERE IN EL
PASO.
PASO. BETO O’ROURKE TOOK THE STAGE.
REPRESENTATIVE WILL HURD TOOK
THE STAGE.
THE STAGE. HE ANNOUNCED HE IS NOT SEEKING
RE-ELECTION.
RE-ELECTION. AND THEY SPOKE ABOUT THESE
THEMES OF NEIGHBORLINESS, OF
UNITY AND OF INCLUSION.
AND THEY SAY THOSE ARE THE
VALUES THAT UNITE THESE TWO
BORDER TOWNS OF EL PASO AND
JUAREZ.
JUAREZ. NOW ANOTHER THING, THOUGH, WE
CAN’T IGNORE THE FACT THAT AN
INCIDENT LIKE THIS SHAKES A
COMMUNITY THAT IS LARGELY MADE
UP OF LATINO FOLKS.
AND IMMIGRANTS.
AND IMMIGRANTS. SO WE’RE GOING TO BE TALKING
ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE
LATER ON ABOUT HOW THEY DEAL
WITH THE FEAR THAT AN INCIDENT
LIKE THIS CAUSES.
>> WE CAN SAY IT OVER AND OVER,
BUT IT’S ABSOLUTELY
HEARTBREAKING AND DEVASTATING.