Bohl Strong/Vegas Strong
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'He Got Shot Looking for Me'
By Michael Wager [email redacted]
Deserie Bohl and her husband Bryan of Yelm, both 35 years old, were having "an amazing time" at the three-day Route 91 Harvest festival in Las Vegas last weekend.
They were at the concert with her cousin Jenny and her cousin's boyfriend. During the last set os Sunday evening the two women decided to go up front.
" The boys stayed in the back," she said during an interview with the Nisqually Valley News Wednesday from Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas.
Three songs into the final set, her cousin said "let's go back to the boys." They were about to winess the deadliest shooting in modern U.S. history. As of Wednesday 59 people were killed by sniper fire; Bryan was among the 527 wounded.
"I heard firecrackers and thought, that's weird. Then they didn't stop," Deserie said.
She was afraid to go to the ground. The shots continued. The concert venue went black. She thought, "I'm not leaving Bryan."
She found shelter. Under a Budweiser trailer up near the stage. About 30 people were crammed underneathe the trailer, "all stacked on each other", she said. She called Bryan. He told her to stay safe and get back to the hotel. Deserie didn't know it, and Bryan didn't tell her at the time, but he had been shot.
"He got shot looking for me,"she said.
Bryan had taken a direct hit that shattered his ankle and lodged between two bones. Doctors expect a full recovery.
While under the trailer, Deserie said she encountered an, "amazing man, a hero." He put his body in front of an opening at the Budweiser trailer, blocking any bullets from hitting the huddled, frightened concert-goers. She doesn't know if he lived.
"The sound of bullets was right there," she said. "I thought that this was the end and that we were not going to make it out of there."
The shooting stopped. An officer said, "Come this way, come this way." She ran, with her cousin, out of the venue toward safety, hiding behind cop cars. She called her mom, then headed toward the hotel.
Her cousin received a phone call from boyfriend. She heard her cousin say, "She's going tobe pissed. I can't not tell her." Her husband had been shot. Later, she learned "the boys had made it out. A gal took off her belt and used it as a tourniquet" on Bryan.
A stranger in a car picked up Bryan and the cousin's boyfriend and rushed them to Sunrise Hospital. Desperate to get to her husband, Deserie and her cousin pounded on a window of a passing taxi. It already had a man in theback and did not offer help. Another taxi was nearby.
"Please take me to thehospital, my husband's been shot," she pleaded. The taxi sped to Sunrise.
Once at the hospital it was four hours until she would see Bryan. During those four hours, all she knew was that he had been shot. Nothing more.
"I was so happy to see him, he was sitting up, hurting pretty good, but in good spirits," Deserie said. "Being reunited was amazing."
They would be there for the next four days. Deserie slept in the hospital. Bryan had successful surgery on Monday. She said she has not been able to stop crying since the shooting. She did find a silver lining in the support she has experienced since Sunday night.
"I've had a lot of emotions and I'm a very positive person," she said. "The way Las Vegas has come together for all of us has been wonderful."
Mostly she's thankful all four who went to the concert together are alive.
"It was terrible but he's alive," she said of Bryan. "So that is excellent. That makes my heart beat."
Deserie and Bryan were released from the hospital on Thursday, October 5th. They flew home and were greated by family, friends and coworkers. They are both doing well dispite Bryan's injury.
Please help continue to show the Bohl family your love and support as they go through this trialing time.
Due to Bryan's unfortune injury they will have unforeseen medical bills and other expenses to pay.
By Michael Wager [email redacted]
Deserie Bohl and her husband Bryan of Yelm, both 35 years old, were having "an amazing time" at the three-day Route 91 Harvest festival in Las Vegas last weekend.
They were at the concert with her cousin Jenny and her cousin's boyfriend. During the last set os Sunday evening the two women decided to go up front.
" The boys stayed in the back," she said during an interview with the Nisqually Valley News Wednesday from Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas.
Three songs into the final set, her cousin said "let's go back to the boys." They were about to winess the deadliest shooting in modern U.S. history. As of Wednesday 59 people were killed by sniper fire; Bryan was among the 527 wounded.
"I heard firecrackers and thought, that's weird. Then they didn't stop," Deserie said.
She was afraid to go to the ground. The shots continued. The concert venue went black. She thought, "I'm not leaving Bryan."
She found shelter. Under a Budweiser trailer up near the stage. About 30 people were crammed underneathe the trailer, "all stacked on each other", she said. She called Bryan. He told her to stay safe and get back to the hotel. Deserie didn't know it, and Bryan didn't tell her at the time, but he had been shot.
"He got shot looking for me,"she said.
Bryan had taken a direct hit that shattered his ankle and lodged between two bones. Doctors expect a full recovery.
While under the trailer, Deserie said she encountered an, "amazing man, a hero." He put his body in front of an opening at the Budweiser trailer, blocking any bullets from hitting the huddled, frightened concert-goers. She doesn't know if he lived.
"The sound of bullets was right there," she said. "I thought that this was the end and that we were not going to make it out of there."
The shooting stopped. An officer said, "Come this way, come this way." She ran, with her cousin, out of the venue toward safety, hiding behind cop cars. She called her mom, then headed toward the hotel.
Her cousin received a phone call from boyfriend. She heard her cousin say, "She's going tobe pissed. I can't not tell her." Her husband had been shot. Later, she learned "the boys had made it out. A gal took off her belt and used it as a tourniquet" on Bryan.
A stranger in a car picked up Bryan and the cousin's boyfriend and rushed them to Sunrise Hospital. Desperate to get to her husband, Deserie and her cousin pounded on a window of a passing taxi. It already had a man in theback and did not offer help. Another taxi was nearby.
"Please take me to thehospital, my husband's been shot," she pleaded. The taxi sped to Sunrise.
Once at the hospital it was four hours until she would see Bryan. During those four hours, all she knew was that he had been shot. Nothing more.
"I was so happy to see him, he was sitting up, hurting pretty good, but in good spirits," Deserie said. "Being reunited was amazing."
They would be there for the next four days. Deserie slept in the hospital. Bryan had successful surgery on Monday. She said she has not been able to stop crying since the shooting. She did find a silver lining in the support she has experienced since Sunday night.
"I've had a lot of emotions and I'm a very positive person," she said. "The way Las Vegas has come together for all of us has been wonderful."
Mostly she's thankful all four who went to the concert together are alive.
"It was terrible but he's alive," she said of Bryan. "So that is excellent. That makes my heart beat."
Deserie and Bryan were released from the hospital on Thursday, October 5th. They flew home and were greated by family, friends and coworkers. They are both doing well dispite Bryan's injury.
Please help continue to show the Bohl family your love and support as they go through this trialing time.
Due to Bryan's unfortune injury they will have unforeseen medical bills and other expenses to pay.
Organizer and beneficiary
Kimberly Roderick
Organizer
Yelm, WA
Deserie Bohl
Beneficiary
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