Human-shield hero a GI who kept helping
One of the Las Vegas heroes has also been protecting his country.
The brave man photographed shielding a woman from bullets in the midst of the Las Vegas massacre is a US soldier who continued to put his own life at risk to help other people wounded in the attack.
A photographer captured Matthew Cobos lying atop the woman as bullets rained down on 22,000 music fans at the Route 91 Harvest festival, leaving 58 people dead and about 500 injured.
The widely shared image — featured on the front page of The Post (inset) — has come to exemplify the bravery that everyday people showed when Stephen Paddock opened fire on the crowd from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.
Cobos shielded the terrified woman’s body and covered her eyes to prevent her from witnessing the bloodbath before he whisked her to safety behind a car, the Daily Mail reported. And Cobos wasn’t done. After making sure the woman was out of danger, he rushed back to help the wounded, using his belt as a tourniquet to stop people from bleeding to death, the outlet reported. He even plugged bullet holes with his fingers. Cobos — a US Army cavalry scout based in Hawaii — is believed to be spending time with family in California. As news spread about Cobos’ heroics, his Facebook account was flooded with well-wishes. “I’ve been scrolling through the internet for 2 days to find out who you were & if the lady you protected were ok,” Clara Arroyave wrote. “That image . . . is one I’ll never forget. What a hero! What a gem!! May your life be full of blessings.”