HOUSTON — A man sprung into action after a Houston police officer was shot in the line of duty on Saturday.
John Lally is being heralded as a hero by Houston Police Chief Troy Finner.
Lally admitted that he had multiple previous run-ins with the law, but he wasn't going to let that stop him from helping.
"A truly reformed individual is a person that we can use. He stepped up," Finner said.
Houston police said that Officer J. Gibson was still in the hospital recovering 24 hours after the shooting.
Lally said he was on his way to work when the gunfire erupted on the Southwest Freeway.
"I was like man, let me record what's going on just in case my job doesn't believe me," he said.
The video he recorded revealed a harrowing situation.
"I saw that one cop get shot and I've been shot before in the same leg and it made me know what he was going through," Lally said. "I just seen somebody needed help and I ran over there."
He didn't think twice about ignoring his safety and getting the wounded officer away from danger.
"I kind of didn't even know there was a shooting still going on you know, like, in my head I was just, like, 'Man I gotta go get this guy real quick,'" Lally said.
Lally said he wasn't going to let the opportunity to do good pass him by.
"This is somebody's life, so at the end of the day, I think we should all do anything and everything that we can to help people," he said. "11/11 is the Angel's number, but it also represents new beginnings."
Lally said he hasn't been in contact with the officer, however, Finner called him to thank him for what he did.
Officials said Gibson had surgery on his leg and it's unclear when he'll be released from the hospital.
Finner said he's 29 and has been with HPD for five years. He also has a 20-month-old baby.
What happened
The incident started around 10 a.m. Saturday when an officer spotted a vehicle that was taken in a carjacking Friday.
Finner said the officer followed the stolen vehicle without using sirens or emergency equipment, but when the suspect noticed the officer, he sped off and a chase began.
Finner said the suspect drove northbound on the Southwest Freeway, and as he approached the 610 Loop, he crashed into multiple vehicles. The suspect attempted to carjack two people after he crashed, and as he shot at officers, at least three returned fire, hitting the suspect multiple times, Finner said.
The suspect was pronounced dead at a hospital.