Denise Peraza will never forget the sacrifice Shannon Johnson made to save her life during the San Bernardino shooting.
The two were joking together in a room about how slowly time was moving that day when the violence started.
"I would have never guessed that only five minutes later, we would be huddled next to each other under the same table, using a fallen chair as a shield from over 60 rounds of bullets being fired across the room," Peraza said in a statement to the media over the weekend.
"I will always remember his left arm wrapped around me, holding me as close as possible next to him behind that chair. And amidst all the chaos, I’ll always remember him saying these three words, 'I got you,'" she said.
Shannon Johnson was 45 years old. A Georgia native, he loved working at the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health because of its diversity, his girlfriend, Mandy Pifer, said.
He had "friendly conversations about religion" with one of the shooters, Pifer said.
A GoFundMe page had been set up to cover the costs of Johnson's funeral. The goal has been reached, but donations are still being accepted.
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