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Many are hailing a copy machine repairman from Orange County, California a hero for helping to save others while he himself received a life-threatening gunshot wound during the Las Vegas massacre.

The Washington Post identifies him as Jonathan Smith, 30, who now has a bullet lodged in his neck from the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

Smith had traveled to Las Vegas to celebrate his brother’s 43th birthday. The two brothers and other family members sat close to the Country Music festival stage, enjoying a Jason Aldean performance on Sunday night when gunshots rained down on the crowd.

In the confusion that followed, his family members became separated. The newspaper said Smith was searching for his nieces when he observed several people crouching in the open—frozen from fear. He led them and others to a safe place.

While helping those people, a bullet struck him.

“I couldn’t feel anything in my neck,” he told The Post. “There was a warm sensation in my arm.”

Emergency room doctors, struggling to save Smith’s life, decided that it would be better to leave the bullet in his neck. He also suffered a fractured collarbone, a cracked rib and a bruised lung, the newspaper said.

Smith’s photo went viral with people applauded him for his heroics.

“I don’t see myself that way,” Smith told The Post. “I would want someone to do the same for me.”

Meanwhile, Tiffany Jones, who identified herself as Smith’s sister-in-law, launched a GoFundMe campaign to help Smith cover out-of-pocket medical expenses. She said that he’s a father of three children, and unable to provide for them because of his injuries. As of Tuesday morning, the campaign raised $1,435 of its $7,000 goal.

SOURCE:  Washington Post

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Jonathan Smith, Shot In Neck, Saved Others In Las Vegas Massacre  was originally published on newsone.com