Jul 23 2012
Patricia Legarreta and Jarell Brooks, sit down for interview with ABC news

Jarell Brooks Speaks: Saved a Mother and her Two Kids in Theater Shooting

On Saturday, while watching coverage of the Colorado movie theater shooting and the focus began to turn toward the survivors of the incident, a standout was an Ann Curry interview with a guy and his girlfriend, who was holding a baby. The guy was talking about surviving the incident, he started to cry and said he was so overwhelmed with emotion that he had just proposed to his girlfriend.

Not sure if I missed details there, but later in a Piers Morgan interview some wtf flags were raised. This guy, Jamie Rohrs, may have survived because he left his girlfriend Patricia, his infant son and four-year-old daughter in the theater, to save is own life.

Jamie Rohrs (that guy in the hat) ran for his life

As he tells it, he saw his son on the floor, thought he should pick him up, but decided the shooter was coming his way, so he high-tailed it out of the theater.

He didn’t just move to a safer position. He ran out into the parking lot, got in his car and drove across to a mall where he decided he was safe and could now call 9/11. He also called his girlfriend to see if she was still alive.

This was a jaw dropping story to me, and others.. because there are numerous accounts of boyfriends who unfortunately died while trying to save their girlfriends. Meanwhile this guy screams, ‘save myself’; knowingly leaving his girlfriend and kids in the shooter’s line of fire.

No one can be certain what they would do in a situation like that, but I can honestly say I would never do that. Jamie’s thought process was, again, in his words, “What if my son lives and I die? Then he will grow up as an orphan.”

C’mon son.

Enter, Jarell Brooks..

Luckily the story ends well, not because of Jamie’s proposal, but because of 19-year-old, Jarell Brooks. He saw Patricia holding her son and helped guide them to safety; all while the shooter was still on his delusional rampage.

They both were shot/grazed on their legs, but due to his heroics, the four of them got out alive. Through most of the coverage of this story, Jarell Brooks has only been known as, ‘the young man who helped me,’ but thankfully, ABC linked Patricia Legarreta with Jarell, who she openly says, saved her life.

Not sure if Jarell meant to shame her boyfriend, but when asked how it feels to be heralded as a hero, Jarell said..

I just feel like I was doing what was the best intentions in the situation. I don’t neccesarily consider myself a hero. I just feel like there was someone who was in distress, and I’m not the kind of person who would let them be in that situation and me selfishly try to get myself out of the equation. Knowing that there’s someone with two kids, all she’s trying to do is protect her kids. So I felt like if I could get her out, maybe I would have got out or maybe I wouldn’t, but as long as I know that she was ok, I was alright.

You’re a hero, dude. God bless.


☼ What's Your Opinion? ☼

1 pakan Tue, Jul 24, 2012 - 11:45 am

this is a hero in the world of america…

2 Kay Wed, Jul 25, 2012 - 9:57 am

I think that the dude who ran out is a coward. What kind of idiotic person leaves there 4 month old 4 year old and mother of there child in a theater with a shooter I Would rather die with my love ones then have them die in a theater alone! Jarell you were very brave in the situation this lady really needs to rethink what she’s doing before marrying that guy.

3 observer Thu, Jul 26, 2012 - 12:42 pm

Is it just me or does she look annoyed with him? What a loser.

4 Noelani Thu, Jul 26, 2012 - 8:42 pm

I think the boyfriend’s saying “What if my son lived and I died. He would grow up an orphan” was nothing but a cop out, an excuse that he thought up later on.  What a jerk! I mean, I know how hard it is to be a single mother, but I think she should have told the guy to get lost.  The man obviously doesn’t value her or his children very much, or he would have done everything in his power to save them. He’s just very lucky that a young man who didn’t even know his family decided to risk his life to take care of them.  I know it is hard being a single mother, but I think Patricia should tell him to get lost.  Take it from someone who spent a quarter century married to a man who didn’t value my life, it won’t get better, it will only get worse!

Jarrell is the kind of young man I would be proud to have as a son, and I’m sure his mother is extremely proud of him!

5 subha-man Mon, Sep 17, 2012 - 2:58 am

wow wht a heroism jarell has shown. i got cried of reading the very event. you a real hero. evrybody would like to be like u sir…. god bless you.

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