This 24-Year-Old Who Saved 70 Lives Is A Reminder Of What's Good In The World
'Feel Good Friday': If only there were more like him.
By Sadho Ram — 17 Jun 2016, 06:02 PM
His name is Imran Yousuf
Aged 24, he was a US Marine, who left the Marine Corps a couple of months ago and started working as a bouncer at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, where a mass shooting terrorist attack occurred by a lone a gunman who shot and killed 49 people on 12 June.
However, the tragedy at Pulse nightclub would have been a lot worse if not for the 24-year-old Imran Yousuf and his military training.
The 24-year-old's decisive actions - he was able to use his training to quickly identify the impending threat and remain clear-headed as people died around him - helped saved more than 60 lives at Pulse
Yousuf emotionally recounted the attack when he sat down for an exclusive interview with CBS News Monday, describing the scene when the gunman entered the nightclub and began to open fire.
bustle.comYousuf heard the first gunshots as he was making rounds and preparing to close the bar just after last call, he said.
“That was a shock. Three or four shots go off and you could tell it was a high-caliber,” Yousuf told CBS’ Mark Strassman. “Everyone froze. I’m here in the back, and I saw people start pouring into the back hallway and they just sardine-pack everyone.”
yahoo.com
Speaking to CBS News, he said that he knew something was horribly wrong as soon as he heard the familiar crack of gunfire.
It was then, Imran claimed, that his military training took over.
In the panic, no one thought to try a locked door leading out the pack of the club onto the street. Mr Yousuf shouted at them to “open the door!”, but they were all shocked into inaction.
“There was only one choice. Either we all stay there and we all die, or I could take the chance, and I jumped over to open that latch a we got everyone that we can out of there. As soon as people found that door was open they kept pouring out and after that we just ran.”
And that's not all, the young bouncer doesn't want any attention for his actions or former military services.
All he wants that people focus on the victims and their families.
"There are a lot of people naming me a hero and as a former Marine and Afghan veteran. I honestly believe I reacted by instinct," Yousuf wrote in the post.
"We need to show our love and profound efforts to the families and friends who have lost someone and help them cope with what happened and turn our efforts to those who truly need it. Once again I sincerely thank everyone and bless all those who are recovering and trying to make sense of it all."
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Victims of Orlando tragedy are honoured in this mural which has 49 roses — one for each Orlando shooting victim.
Image via CBC