A hero of the Las Vegas shooting who saved the life of a pregnant woman has been reunited with the mum and her newborn son for the first time since the massacre.
Sue Ann Cornwell, 52, led mum-to-be Miriam Finch, 21, to safety and laid on top of her to shield her from bullets as gunman Stephen Paddock gunned down 58 concertgoers.
The retired bus driver who was at the Route 91 Harvest music festival with her sister Billie Jo LaCount, 44, reassured the Miriam: “Your baby is not dying on my watch.”
After ushering Miriam to safety, brave Sue Ann, a married mother-of-one, says she returned to the venue multiple times to help the wounded.
She even tended to injured Denise Burditus, 50, who lay dying in the back of her truck after being shot in the bloodbath on October 1 2017 in Paradise, Nevada.
Miriam, who was seven months pregnant at the time and escaped unharmed, went on to have a healthy pregnancy after the attack.
She gave birth to her first son, Xander Finch, via C-section on November 26 and credits Sue Ann and her sister for saving both of their lives.
Miriam, who went to the event with friends but was alone near the front of the stage when the shooting began, tracked down Sue Ann earlier this month on Facebook.
The pair went on to meet at the Healing Garden in Las Vegas and Sue Ann met baby Xander for the first time earlier this month.
Sue Ann, of Las Vegas, Nevada, said: “My sister and I had been dancing and singing and having a great time when we heard what we thought was firecrackers.
“Then I saw a speaker at the side of the stage blow up and it started smoking.
“I just went into protection mode. There was a bunch of younger kids around me so I grabbed them and pulled them down.
“When the shooting stopped I threw a bunch of them over the fence and my sister moved Miriam to her right side and they were sitting against the fence.
“My sister was upset but I said, ‘No time for that.’
“Miriam was upset. She said ‘I don’t want my baby to die.’
“I said, ‘Your baby is not dying on my watch. I will get you out of here.'”
Sue Ann shepherded Miriam and her sister out of the line of fire and toward the end of the stage.
They advanced a few steps when the gunfire paused before lying on the ground when bullets began raining again.
Every time they got down, Sue Ann laid on top of Miriam, acting as a protective shield.
They eventually sought shelter under a section of the stage before escaping over a broken-down section of fence and fleeing to Sue Ann’s truck.
She says she called her husband of 34 years, 80-year-old Paul Cornwell, and told him she was going back in.
Sue Ann, who has a son, Wesley, 26, said: “It was like a warzone. There were people bleeding everywhere, people crying and screaming.
“Everybody that stayed and helped worked together.
“It didn’t matter what color you were or what politics you followed, it was just someone needed help and you helped.
“It was rather amazing.
“When I saw Miriam again I was so proud that she made it out and her baby was born healthy,” she added.
“Her son, to me, is a sign of hope.”
Miriam, of Las Vegas, Nevada, who is married to her high school sweetheart Dillan Finch, 22, said she hopes to remain in touch with Sue Ann.
The surf shop worker and mum-of-one to Xander, now aged four months, said: “At first the shooting sounded like fireworks but then the speaker blew up.
“When I realized what was going on there were just so many feelings going.
“It was shock that this was happening; shock that I was seeing people on the ground unresponsive.
“I honestly don’t know how I would have handled it if I was by myself. Sue Ann and Billie Jo made me go faster than I would have if I was completely alone.
“They gave me a bag to cover my stomach and Sue Ann shielded me from bullets.
“The fact that a stranger who I had never talked to in my life did that was amazing.
“I’m extremely grateful to both of them for everything.
“I went on to have a healthy baby and I owe them our safety.”
Since you are here
Since you are here, we wanted to ask for your help.
Journalism in Britain is under threat. The government is becoming increasingly authoritarian and our media is run by a handful of billionaires, most of whom reside overseas and all of them have strong political allegiances and financial motivations.
Our mission is to hold the powerful to account. It is vital that free media is allowed to exist to expose hypocrisy, corruption, wrongdoing and abuse of power. But we can't do it without you.
If you can afford to contribute a small donation to the site it will help us to continue our work in the best interests of the public. We only ask you to donate what you can afford, with an option to cancel your subscription at any point.
To donate or subscribe to The London Economic, click here.
The TLE shop is also now open, with all profits going to supporting our work.
The shop can be found here.
You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER .
