Travis McMillon took his 8-year-old son to their local mall in Ridgeland, Mississippi, Saturday where gunfire soon erupted and the little boy saw his father’s heroism on full display.
McMillon took Ethan to Northpark Mall to purchase his first pair of Air Jordan tennis shoes, according to WAPT-TV. It was while the father was recording the special moment on his phone that gunshots rang out, prompting a scared reaction from Ethan, who was trying on his brand new pair of sneakers.
He shared the video on his Facebook page (warning: contents are disturbing):
Ethan’s joy was overtaken by sheer terror when he heard the sound of gunshots.
According to the police, it was a 16-year-old girl who pulled a gun on a popcorn store owner on the second floor of the mall during a robbery gone bad. Thankfully, the store owner had a gun, too, and immediately jumped to action, shooting the girl in the leg in what law enforcement officers ruled an act of self-defense.
McMillon, of course, didn’t know what was happening, fearing an assailant was running around the shopping complex, shooting people at will.
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“I was scared, because I thought they were running around shooting the mall,” he told WAPT-TV.
As any good father would, McMillon acted on one priority: Protecting his young son from danger.
“I covered him up, so if anything were to happen, [bullets] would hit me and not him, and I would protect him,” the heroic dad told the local news station.
Incredibly proud of his father, young Ethan praised his dad as “better than Superman.”
Next time, Ethan said, he should follow his dad’s advice.
“My dad said I should’ve just ordered them,” the boy told the news site. “After the gunshots, I wish I would’ve agreed to ordering it.”
While what happened is certainly horrific, praise God no one was killed in the incident. The ordeal also further solidified Ethan’s trust in his father’s commitment to keeping him safe from harm.
The teenager who allegedly attempted to rob the popcorn store owner is now in police custody.
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