A Tennessee nurse, who was among the victims killed in Sunday night's Las Vegas shooting, is being remembered for saving his wife during the attack.
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Fifty-nine people were killed Sunday night during an outdoor performance by country singer Jason Aldean.
Sonny Melton, 29, was identified as one of the victims by his wife on social media. They were attending the Route 91 Festival when the gunman, Stephen Paddock, 64, began firing from the 32nd floor of the nearby Mandalay Bay hotel.
According to Union University, Melton completed his Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree in 2015.
He had a contagious smile and a genuine passion for life that brought joy to those around him but the death of Sonny Melton during the Las Vegas shooting massacre Sunday night has sent the small town of Big Sandy, Tenn., into shock.
Sonny had spent the weekend in Las Vegas with his wife Dr. Heather Gulish Melton.
Media reports on Monday revealed that Sonny likely saved his wife's life by pushing her out of the way as bullets rained down from the skies above a music festival.
"He saved my life. He grabbed me and started running when I felt him get shot in the back," Heather told NBC affiliate WSMV. "I want everyone to know what a kindhearted, loving man he was, but at this point, I can barely breathe."
"I lost my true love and knight in shining armor," she wrote on Facebook Monday.
Sonny Melton's friends said he was man who loved his community, loved hunting and loved to go out of his way for others.
"The world is a little more cloudy today because he was our sunshine," longtime friend Autumn Ratliff said in an interview Monday.
Sonny's parents both left for Las Vegas hours after receiving news of their son's death. Family members say they are still working on arrangements to have his body brought back to Tennessee before making funeral arrangements.
Portions of this article courtesy of WTVF-TV and WSMV-TV via CNN Newsource
