Mathew James, 30, sacrificed himself as a human shield to protect his fiancée and the mother of their two children, Seera Wilson when one of the attackers of the Hotel Riu Imperial Marhaba, a 5-star beach front hotel in Sousse town in Tunisia opened fire outside the Mediterranean resorts Friday, BBC reports.
"He told me, 'I love you babe. But just go, tell our children that their daddy loves them," his fiancee told BBC.
The mother of two, 26, said she had no other choice but to leave him there, not knowing if he'd live or if he'd die. "He was covered in blood from the shots, but he just told me to run away. It was the bravest thing I've ever known. But I just had to leave him under the sunbed because the shooting just kept on coming."she said
She ran to their nearby hotel room, all the while passing a body floating in the resort's swimming pool. Once inside her room she hid inside a cupboard and waited until everywhere was calm again.
By the time the massacre ended at least 37 people were confirmed dead, including the gunman, and another 36 injured.
To her surprise, her Fiance survived after being shot on the chest, in the shoulder and hip. He suffered a heart attack and a shattered pelvis. He is currently in the Intensive care unit of a Tunisian hospital where he is receiving medical attention.
This is not the first time people have sacrificed themselves for loved ones. At the Colorado shooting during a movie premiere in 2012, many people are reported to have acted as body shields to protect their loved ones and many also died in the process.
