The ‘Today Show’ shared the live moment on camera.
Out of the stories of tragedy and loss in Las Vegas, there have also been many tales of bravery and inspiration. On Tuesday morning, Today show host Savannah Guthrie was interviewing Tom McIntosh, a concert goer at Sunday’s Route 91 Harvest Country Music Festival.
Tom was shot in the leg after helping his wife and another woman over a wall to get to safety. He immediately started bleeding and was convinced that he wasn’t going to survive the wound.
“I wouldn’t have [made it]. By the time I got over the wall, my pants were soaked and my shoes were full of blood. So I wouldn’t have made it,” he told Guthrie. “I know I wouldn’t have, so I’m very thankful that James was there to help me.”
James Lawson was a stranger to Tom, who happened to find him with a belt, badly applied as a tourniquet. He adjusted the belt to stabilize the bleeding and waited with Tom until they found a man with a truck who rushed them to the hospital.
Tom spoke about wanting to thank James for all he’d done to save his life, and seemed shocked and thrilled with Guthrie revealed that they’d found James and brought him there.
The two men hugged tightly as Tom emotionally thanked James for all he did.
Tom later said of James, “He was actually really cool about it, but yeah, I was terrified.”
“I don’t remember thinking. He kept wanting to not lose his foot and I kept reassuring him of that,” James recalled. “And he’s still got it.”
James was able to stay calm in the stressful situation due to his training in the Army Reserves.
“I’ve been in the Army Reserves for over 10 years now. We go through numerous combat lifesaver trainings,” he explained. “I got EMT certified a while back and never did anything with it until the other night. I didn’t go through all that semester for nothing.”
And James doesn’t consider himself to be a hero, adding, “There was dozens and dozens of other concert goers doing the same thing.”
For more from the Las Vegas shooting, watch the clip below.