Former NQ woman in line of fire

COURTNEY Cooper first thought the gunshots were fireworks going off above her.

The former Townsville resident had been separated from her friend and was standing near the main stage when the crowd at the Route 91 Harvest Festival began to panic.

She thought the people around her were just tripping over. Then only a metre away, a bullet exploded through a man’s knee and chaos set in.

“We just dropped behind this little wooden stand and the guy there, a complete stranger, literally jumped on top of me and was shielding me ( from the bullets),” said the 26year- old who now lives in Brisbane. “There were bullets just going everywhere and there was a guy like a metre away from me who got his knee blown out.”

Ms Cooper was among the 22,000 terrified concertgoers being peppered with bullets from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Resort with gunman Stephen Paddock pulling the trigger. The revellers had no idea, though, where or how many gunmen were firing.

Ms Cooper said a break in the bursts of gunfire gave her and those around her a moment to run for the exit.

“There was blood where. All down the she said.

Ms Cooper found safety inside an apartment with about 20 other strangers.

She was expected to fly back in to Brisbane this morning. everystreet,”