Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said outside a hospital where victims of a movie theater shooting were being treated that he was starting to hear "stories of heroism and self-sacrifice."
John Houser, a 59-year-old white male, fired shots in a movie theater Thursday night, killing two people and injuring at last seven others before using his handgun to shoot himself, police said. Witnesses told police Houser appeared to be alone. Investigators said the shooter's motive was unknown.
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The shooting happened about 20 minutes into a 7 p.m. showing of the movie "Trainwreck.”
Jindal recounted the story of two school teachers who were in the theater at the time of the shooting.
“A couple of teachers (were) at a movie together. One of the teachers literally jumped on top of the other, may have saved her life.
“Took a bullet that could have hit the second teacher in the head.
“The second teacher was injured, was shot, but not life-threatening. She’s one of the ones we discharged tonight.
“Despite being injured, the second teacher was able to pull the fire alarm and save other lives.
“So you think about it: Two friends together. One jumps in the way of a bullet to save her friend’s life. The other one, even though she’s shot, pulls the fire alarm and saves other people’s lives.”
Both teachers survived. They were identified Friday morning as Jena Meaux and Ali Martin. Meaux is a librarian at Jeanerette High School and Martin is an English teacher at the school.
Meaux's bullet wound was not life-threatening, according to her son, Drake, who wrote on Facebook that "momma is ok... just a soft tissue wound." Martin was treated for her leg wound and released from the hospital within hours. She told Jindal that Meaux saved her life.
A GoFundMe account was set up for Meaux and Martin to help with their medical bills.
>> Watch video of Jindal telling their story here.
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