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Gaslamp Shooting: Witnesses speak about helping victim shot in chest, arm

Both men, once enlisted in the Israeli Defense Forces, jumped into action to help a man they said was shot in the chest and the arm.

SAN DIEGO — Details about the mass shooting in the Gaslamp on Thursday are still being revealed as witnesses spoke this weekend about what they saw that night.

Twenty-eight-year-old Justin Boldin lost his life when he was fatally shot near the Pendry Hotel. Now two witnesses who were at the 2nd shooting location are telling their story.

News 8's LaMonica Peters spoke with two men who give us more insight into the shooting.  

The gunman opened fire on four more men Thursday night on 5th and Island. At least one of them was seriously injured and the two men who helped him are talking about the traumatic experience.

They said it all happened so fast. Shai Gino and Dvir Benesh said they were standing on the sidewalk waiting for pizza when 32-year-old gunman, Travis Sarreshteh, allegedly began shooting.

“Because the shooter was so calm, he didn’t run away so it took us a few seconds to understand that was an actual shooting,” Benesh said. 

Gino and Benesh said four men were walking in the opposite direction of the shooter when he suddenly started screaming at them.

“He started yelling, 'get away from my way,' 'no one stand in my way.' They probably thought he was one of the homeless and they started giggling a little bit. He turned around and we saw everything live. So he turned around and said 'nobody’s laughing at me' and just started shooting all over,” Gino said. 

After realizing the men had been shot and the gunman had walked away, Gino and Benesh, who were both once enlisted in the Israeli Defense Forces, jumped into action to help the man they said was shot in the chest and the arm.

“I put a towel on his hand in order to stop the bleeding to his arm, to stop all the veins to his arm, and I put on pressure from the front and back. Dvir took the other spot from the back. We saw that the bullet got in and got out so there were two holes,” Gino said. 

Gino said they kept the man awake until San Diego Police arrived about five minutes later. Benesh said they waited with police for hours and afterwards, they were able to finally process what happened.

“I’m glad that we were there for him so that he can stay with us,” Benesh added. 

Gino and Benesh say police later told them that their bravery most likely saved the man’s life. They said they’d like to be able to see him again, to thank him for staying calm as they helped and just to be able to give him a hug.

WATCH: GoFundMe, memorial for man killed in Gaslamp shooting

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