TORONTO – A Washington Navy Yard employee who led his blind colleague out of harm’s way during Monday’s deadly shooting is being hailed a hero.
Omar Grant was sitting with a visually impaired employee on the first floor of the atrium when the first shots rang.
READ MORE: Motive still unclear in Washington Navy Yard shooting; suspect treated for mental health issues
“We heard two shots and started wondering if that was the sound of someone dropping something or if they were really shots,” Grant told Yahoo News. “We heard three more shots and that’s when people started running out of the building and getting the hell out of there.”
It was then, Grant said, he escorted his colleague calmly to a nearby train.
The photo of Grant leading his blind colleague off the base has been retweeted almost 500 times.
U.S. officials say the man identified as the gunman in the Washington Navy Yard shooting, 34-year-old Aaron Alexis, was suffering from mental health illnesses. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press Tuesday as “the criminal investigation in the case is continuing.”
READ MORE: Who was Navy Yard shooter Aaron Alexis?
The former Navy reservist and defence contractor killed 12 people yesterday before he was slain in a gun battle with police.
– with files from The Associated Press
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