20 good things that happened in 2017

16. Jonathan Smith saved around 30 people in Las Vegas

Earlier this year, 58 people died and 546 more were injured after a gunman opened fire with a series of high-powered weapons at the Route 91 Harvest festival in Las Vegas.

By sheer victim count, this is one of the largest mass shootings in American history. However, the pain of survivors and family cannot fully be appreciated or quantified.

That said, there are some flashes of good to be found in such an awful news story. Take Jonathan Smith, a 30-year-old copy machine repairman who was at the festival. When it became clear that someone was shooting into the crowd, Smith sprang into action. Nine of his family members were there, celebrating a brother’s birthday. He instructed them to hold hands and run away from the shots.

Smith’s heroism

That wasn’t all, however. As Smith was fleeing with his family, they became separated. Smith turned back to look for his young nieces and then saw other people in danger. Some were reportedly so frightened that they had practically frozen, unable to move towards safety.

Smith began to grab people, urging them to run towards a handicapped parking area and shelter behind cars. When he saw that some people were not fully covered, he stood up to warn them and was shot.

Fortunately, Smith survived. He was struck in the shoulder, suffering broken bones and a bruised lung. All of his family survived, as well. A photo of a bandaged Smith in a local emergency room quickly went viral.

Though many hailed Smith as a hero, he demurred. “I don’t see myself that way,” he said. “I would want someone to do the same for me”.