HOUSTON – A Houston man is being hailed a hero after jumping into action and pulling an injured Houston police officer to safety after he was shot in the leg.
John Lally said he was driving on U.S.59 near Chimney Rock when he found himself in the middle of a shootout between HPD and a carjacking suspect on Saturday.
Lally told KPRC 2 he watched as Officer John Gibson, 29, was shot.
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“I saw him get shot, and I knew he got shot because he buckled to the ground, then he tried to stand back up and then buckled again,” Lally said.
Lally said his mission was to make Officer Gibson as comfortable as possible.
“I said I want to let you know you’re going to be OK, the officer already put a tourniquet on your leg,” Lally said. “I knew he was going through pain, and I know when you’re going through that type of pain, just somebody talking to you and being there with you and just holding your hand is probably going to take your mind off a lot of that stuff.”
According to Lally, the shootout lasted about 10 minutes.
The carjacking suspect was shot multiple times and died at the scene.
Lally is thankful he was at the right place at the right time.
“I hope that I wouldn’t have to do it again, but if I had to I will and I encourage anybody that can help anybody to continue to help people,” said Lally.
Officer Gibson is expected to make a full recovery.