A Stranger’s Bravery

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – It was a week ago Thursday when a deadly shooting claimed the life of a 27-year old man in downtown Columbus.

WCBI’s Scott Martin caught up with a woman who bravely rushed to his side to try and save his life as gunfire continued to ring out.

It’s a night that’s still haunting. For the first time, Jasmine Walton revisited the site where 27-year-old Cordell Lewis was fatally shot outside the Trotter convention center.

“It feels, it feels surreal. It almost feels like it never happened,” says Walton.

On the night of the shooting, Walton says People were running to get outside, unaware someone had been shot. Once outside, Walton says people were screaming for someone to help Lewis. Instinctively, she sprang into action.

“I got down and tried to get a response out of him, but I couldn’t get a response,” says Walton.

Walton began chest compressions, as time seemed to stop there was a moment of relief when Walton says Lewis took a breath.

“I told him to stay with me stay with me, I’m not going to let you go. I want you to stay with me, stick with me,” says Walton.

Walton says at one point another shot was fired, as she was doing CPR. As people scattered, Walton stayed by Lewis’s side.

“No matter what happened I was going to say there and do what I had to do until EMT’s got got there,” says Walton.

Lewis later died at the hospital. Overwhelmed by the chaos of the night, Walton makes a call to the one who trained her.

“She was crying and very upset and had a lot of questions,” says Anthony Colom of the Columbus Fire Department.

Colom says Walton needed some understanding for feeling at fault.

“I told her everything she did was proper, a lot of times it’s just out of our hands. It’s in God’s hands,” says Colom.

Though the ending didn’t turn out as planned, Walton says she’d do it all over.

“In a heart beat. Anybody. I’d do it again,” says Walton.

Walton also said she’d like the family to know she’s there for them and praying for their strength.

Anthony Colom notes that in CPR training one of the first things they teach is scene safety and credits Walton for her bravery to help save a life.