Pink Celebrates El Paso Shooting Hero Glendon Oakley

Pink is joining Snoop Dogg in celebrating Army Pfc. Glendon Oakley, a hero in the El Paso, Texas [...]

Pink is joining Snoop Dogg in celebrating Army Pfc. Glendon Oakley, a hero in the El Paso, Texas shooting on Saturday. The Army private was shopping at the Cielo Vista Mall Saturday morning when he heard gunshots coming from the nearby Walmart, picked up as many children as he could and ran to safety.

View this post on Instagram

#Repost @snoopdogg

A post shared by P!NK (@pink) on

Pink re-posted Snoop Dogg's Instagram post on Monday, featuring two photos of Oakley and text that read, "I will not post the killer's picture on my page because this hero Glendon Oakley needs to be on front page news because he saved the kids life during the mass shooting. Thank you for your service."

Pink did not add a caption of her own. On his post, Snoop Dogg wrote, "Black Super Hero."

In interviews with multiple media outlets, Oakley detailed the traumatizing incident, saying he spotted a group of children clustered in one of the mall's open play areas screaming for their parents

"Only thing I could think of is pick up as many kids I can as possible," he told CNN.

"I was just focused on the kids, I wasn't really worried about myself. So [I] just put my head down and just ran as fast as I could," he said. "They were anxious, when they were in my arms, they were trying to jump out of my arms but [I was] trying to keep them as tight as possible. They are kids, so they don't understand what is going on."

He said his military training and experience helped him make the split-second decision to get the kids out of harm's way. Oakley is an Army automated logistics specialist assigned to the 504th Composite Supply Company, 142nd Combat Support Sustainment Battalion, 1st Armored Division Sustainment Brigade at Fort Bliss, Texas.

"I was just thinking about if I had a child and I wasn't around, how I would want another man to react if they saw my child running around," he said.

"I didn't even think. I just grabbed as many kids as I could and ran five stores down to the exit," he told Task & Purpose, adding that once he saw the heavy police presence outside, he let the three children go. "We got there and ran into a whole batch of police pointing their guns at us. I wasn't focused on myself, and I wasn't focused on my surroundings ... I was just focused on those kids."

Oakley was deeply traumatized by the shooting, which has left 22 dead and dozens more injured. Investigating authorities are calling it an act of domestic terrorism; the shooter, a 21-year-old white male, reportedly authored a racist manifesto that specifically focused on "the Hispanic invasion" and drove over 600 miles from his home to kill as many Mexicans as possible.

In his interview with KTSM, Oakley apologized for shaking. He told Task & Purpose that despite his military training, he was "scared for my life."

"I heard four kids died," he said, his voice softening. "I wish I could have gotten more kids out of there. I wish those guys who ran would have stayed ... I just think, what if that was my child? How would I want some other man to react?"

"I wish they had some sense of service," he said.

Photo credit: Paul Archuleta / Contributor / Getty

0comments