WASHINGTON — She will always remember these words, and so will a nation stricken by tragedy: “I got you.”
Denise Peraza huddled underneath an overturned chair with colleague Shannon Johnson, who served as a shield and comforted her as suspects Sayed Farook, their co-worker at the county health department, and his wife, sprayed the room with bullets.
“Amidst all the chaos, I’ll always remember him saying these three words, ‘I got you,'” said Peraza, who was shot and is recovering in the hospital, in a statement posted on Facebook. Johnson, 45, did not make it.
He is being hailed as a hero, a bright light in a month that included mass shootings in Paris, Colorado, and now San Bernardino, California.
“I believe I am still here today because of this amazing man. This amazing, selfless man who always brought a smile to everyone’s face in the office with his lively stories about his hometown back in Georgia, who will be deeply missed by all,” she said, calling Johnson “my friend, my hero.”
Johnson one of 14 people killed in the mass shooting at the Inland Regional Center. He worked as a San Bernardino County health inspector, according to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Another 17 people, included Peraza, were injured in the event.
More about Johnson at NBC News.
