Poker player and self-proclaimed “King of Instagram” Dan Bilzerian, 36, went from near-victim to hero when a madman opened fire during a Jason Aldean set at the Route 91 Harvest Festival on Oct. 1. 59 people were killed and over 500 injured in the deadliest mass shooting in American history. While running from the side of the stage to the safety of his van, he came across a badly injured woman and knew he had to do something to help save her life. Dan became his own personal ambulance service, picking up the victim and rushing her to a nearby hospital. “I don’t know the extent of her injuries,” he told PEOPLE magazine “She could barely talk.” He didn’t stick around as he went back to the scene to try to help others.
He knew just how serious things were when he described in a real-time Snapchat video as things went down that he saw a woman get shot in the face. Dan also came across dead bodies while making his escape. He told the mag about one particular victim, saying “She was dead. She had been shot in the head, and her brain was showing.” How horrifying! See pics from the Las Vegas massacre, here.
Dan had been at the side of the stage with childhood pal and country star Jake Owen, 36, when the mayhem began.“We were on the stage when the gunfire started.” He said at first they weren’t sure what was going on until about 15 seconds later when they realized it was high-powered gunfire. “It sounded like firecrackers,” he said, “which is what it sounds like when supersonic bullets are flying over your head.” He kept his wits about him, saying “I was pretty calm, all things considered, but I definitely ran to safety.”
After bringing the injured woman to the hospital, the weapon loving social media star returned to the scene armed and ready to help police, even though they had the situation under control. Dan cursed the fact that he hadn’t brought his own gun to the concert. “It was a pretty strong wake up call,” he said. “This stuff can happen without warning anywhere. It’s not smart to get caught without a gun.” As for doing the brave act of returning to the scene of the carnage, he said “I don’t think it was heroic at all. I just wanted to do the right thing.” Oh man, that takes balls of steel!
I spotted @DanBilzerian helping the injured in Las Vegas. Earlier he was seen on Snapchat escaping from the shooting. #legend #vegas pic.twitter.com/r0aaC3krtS
— AC. (@VLEXCVRLOS) October 2, 2017
HollywoodLifers, do you think our nation should have stricter gun controls after the Las Vegas massacre?