San Bernardino First Responders Share Their Stories From Attack
SAN BERNARDINO (CBSLA.com) — San Bernardino first responders spoke publicly for the first time Tuesday about their experiences during the attacks that killed 14 and injured 21.
About 30 of the 300 first responders who were at the various crime scenes on Wednesday spoke at an event with reporters.
One of them was San Bernardino Co. Sheriff's Det. Jorge Lozano, who recalled his experience ushering a group of dozens of frightened people through the Inland Regional Center to safety.
His efforts were captured on a cellphone video. As were his words.
"I'll take a bullet before you do. That's for damn sure," he said to the group. The video of that moment has gone viral online and those words have become a rallying cry for San Bernardino first responders.
Addressing the public on Tuesday, Lozano said the situation in the Inland Regional Center was intense.
"There was a female there with a small child that was just terrified -- shivering almost ... shaking life a leaf," he said. "I said what I said. I meant what I said. I said it for them to calm down and relax. We were going to get them out of that building safely."
Asked whether he feels like a hero, Lozano said he was just doing his job.
"I don't feel like a hero whatsoever," he said. "Any of the 300 people there would have said the same thing. That's our job."
San Bernardino police Officer Nicholas Koahou recalled the moments when officers exchanged hundreds of rounds of gunfire with Farook and Malik.
"It was an overwhelming sound the entire time," he said.
Amid the chaos, as he was rushing to back up a deputy, he felt a bullet strike him in the leg. Another officer came to his aid.
Even as he was wounded, Koahou said, he stayed engaged in the battle. He said it was a lesson instilled in his training as a Marine.
"You're never out of the fight," he said. "You gotta keep fighting."
