Pulse survivor to rescuer: ‘We're brothers for life'

ORLANDO, Fla. — Eyewitness News spoke to one of the survivors of the Pulse nightclub shooting on June 12. Fred Johnson was rescued by a stranger, who talked to him the night he was shot multiple times.

Johnson was just released from the hospital this week.

“I actually, honestly broke down when I first walked out of the hospital and the sun hit my face,” Johnson said.

Johnson is finally able to move his thumb again since the shooting. He was shot two times by Omar Mateen. The bullet went through Johnson’s arm and leg, shattering his bones.

Eyewitness News spoke to one of the survivors of the Pulse nightclub shooting on June 12. Fred Johnson was rescued by a stranger, who talked to him the night he was shot multiple times.

Johnson was just released from the hospital this week.

“It was like a tow, tow, tow, tow, tow, tow. It was like the music, but a little bit louder and then people were kind of confused,” Johnson said.

He said his military training instincts kicked in when Omar Mateen began shooting.

"There was nothing I could do.  I could scream.  There's nothing to do.  I have a military background and just know the best thing to do is just to get help and seek help,” Johnson said.

A stranger, only known as Luis, rescued Johnson out of the club, tied a bandana around his leg to slow the bleeding and talked to Johnson for 15 minutes until police were flagged down and Johnson was rushed to the hospital.

“So grateful, so grateful. Because he could have just walked away. He could have just walked away and I would have just been there,” Johnson said.

Nerves from Johnson’s leg had to be placed in his arm in hopes he would regain feeling in his hand. The recovery time could take up to a year.

Now that Johnson is out of the hospital, he plans to travel to Virginia this weekend, where Darryl Burt will be laid to rest. Burt was one of the people who didn’t make it out of the Pulse nightclub.

The two men from Jacksonville went to the club to celebrate Burt’s college graduation.

Burt’s death is something that Johnson said hasn’t sunk in yet.

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Johnson and the man who rescued him have reunited and have exchanged text messages.

"We're brothers for life.  We're going to be brothers for life."

Cox Media Group