Following the mass shooting in downtown Sacramento over the weekend, a father says the heroism of a homeless man who was there during the chaos is the reason his daughter is still alive today.
Tom Orosco had driven to the entertainment district to pick up his daughter and her three friends just after 2am on Sunday.
When he arrived to pick them up after a night out, he was horrified to hear gunfire and see the lawless scene unfolding before his eyes.
‘I was on the phone with them,’ the father told . ‘I heard the shots out the window and the shots on my phone.’
But his daughter’s phone abruptly died.
‘Immediately, I said, “I got to find them, I got to find them,”‘ he said.
As the horrified father searched frantically for her daughter and her friends — the women were being looked after by a homeless man named Tim.
Tim helped Orosco’s daughter, whose name has not been shared publicly, after she fell while trying to escape the chaotic scene. After helping the woman stand up he guided her and her friends to an alcove where he had been sleeping.
‘My daughter had fallen and Tim helped her up and he said “Come in here,” and brought them where it was safe,’ the father said. ‘He literally stood up to protect them from anybody that came.’
Amid the tragic shooting that six and left 12 others injured, Orosco detailed how the situation served as a reminder to have faith in humanity.
‘It’s a reminder that there’s good people out here. And he’s one of those good people,’ Orosco said.
‘He was willing to put himself in the line of fire, no doubt,’ Orosco said.
The family had gone back to the area earlier this week to thank Tim for her heroism. Orosco had snapped a picture of the smiling man, which he then shared with the television station.
The Orosco family hopes to continue seeing Tim. They say they want to buy him a food and continually bring him food and other supplies.
According to the family, Tim has been homeless for eight months, and is originally from Ohio.
Three men have been arrested in connection to the Sunday morning massacre. Daviyonne Dawson, 31, was arrested and booked on suspicion of being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm on Tuesday.
On Monday, brothers Dandrae Martin, 26, and Smiley Martin, 27, were arrested on charges stemming from the shooting. Dandrae Martin.
Smiley Martin, who was on parole from state prison since February, was booked for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession of a machine gun. His brother, Dandrae Martin, was booked for assault with a firearm and for being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm.
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