Photo: Instagram
A hero in the wake of terror.
By Kaitlin Kaiser — Written on Aug 07, 2019
Less than 24 hours after a mass shooting took place in El Paso, Texas, there was a report of another domestic terrorist who opened fire in Dayton, Ohio. In all of the fear and sorrow that accompanied these tragedies, there are small glimmers of humanity buried beneath the weight of our nation's mourning. On August 4th, 2019, while people were running for their lives, Kayla Miller put her life at risk to help the victims of gunshot wounds. She provided CPR and medical care for those too injured to run away, while bullets flew all around her. Kayla Miller is an American hero. I'm sure we all want to know, who is Kayla Miller?
1. She is a critical care nurse
A critical care nurse, also known as an ICU nurse, is a registered nurse who specializes in giving care to those who are brought into the intensive care unit. Their duties include evaluating patients' condition, administering treatment and providing constant support during recovery. If she had been on duty the night of the shootings, she would likely have some of the gunshot victims in her care. It is miraculous that she was in the bar, and heroic that she put her life at risk to try to save complete strangers.
2. She was celebrating her friend's birthday
On the night of the shootings, Kayla Miller was out celebrating a friend's 25th Birthday. She thought she was going to have a night celebrating her loved ones, drinking, laughing and making memories. Instead she found herself cowering from the sounds of gunshots and racing towards an exit. However, while she was running she saw what she describes as a row of bodies. Some were alive, others not. While some of the people at the bar were barricading themselves in bathrooms and fighting each other for the exit door, Kayla put her life at risk to try to save perfect strangers. She started administering CPR to the victims, attempting to keep them alive or help them to regain consciousness.
3. What happened?
On August 4th, 2019 a man opened fire at Ned Peppers Bar in the Oregon district of Dayton, Ohio. He shot and killed nine people, and injured 26 others. The shooting happed at 1am. It was said that the whole incident happened quickly because police had been patrolling the area and were able to respond as soon as they heard the gunshots.
4. Killed by the police
The shooter was wearing body armor in preparation for the shooting. He opened fire at Ned Peppers Bar and in a matter of minutes he was able to fire off enough bullets to injure 26 people and kill 9 others, due to the automatic weapon he was using. The police reacted quickly and Betts was dead within seconds of the first reported gun shot. "The threat was neutralized at approximately 30 seconds of the suspect firing his first shot," said Richard Biehl, Dayton, Ohio chief of police.
5. He killed his sister.
The shooter drove to the bar with his younger sister and an unidentified male companion. At some point in the night, the shooter and his sister went their separate ways. Her dead body was later found in a car alongside the wounded body of her companion. The unidentified male was injured by the shooter and is currently cooperating with the police.
6. She is grateful to be alive.
"I'm grateful to be able to be alive and talk to my family and friends and tell them I’m OK. But my heart breaks for these families." With tears in her eyes she gave a heartfelt interview to NBC, explaining what she was thinking during the attack and about how traumatizing it was for everyone involved. She spends most of the interview, talking about her sympathy for the families involved, and not her own heroism. She truly is an American hero.
Kaitlin Kaiser is a writer who writes about love, relationships, self-care, spirituality and astrology.