Ian Grillot risked his own life and took bullets in the chest and hand to stop a suspected hate crime in progress in Kansas.
The Indian American community has rallied to show their thanks by donating $100,000 to a reward fund set up by the India House for Grillot that he will use towards purchasing a home, reported the New York Times.
One Indian American was killed and another was injured after the suspect was heard using ethnic slurs and yelling the men did not belong in this country . He was kicked out of the bar, but witnesses say Adam W. Purinton returned a short time later and began firing.
That’s when Grillot moved to stop the gunman from killing anyone else.
“I don’t know if I could’ve lived with myself if I wouldn’t have stopped or attempted to stop the shooter because that would’ve been completely devastating,” Grillot was quoted in the New York Daily News as saying.
Grillot was the guest of honor at the annual India House Gala on March 25.
“Ian showed true sense of the American spirit by standing up to the adversity,” said the India House in Houston on its Facebook page. “India House recognized this selfless act beyond the call of duty and has extended the community’s gratitude to Ian Grillot by helping him to buy a house.”
The chair of the fundraiser added his own thoughts.
“It is not every day that one meets a genuine hero — a person who risks his life for another, and takes a bullet for a complete stranger. Ian Grillot is a man who reminds us of the promise of America and its greatness,” said Jiten Agarwal.
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