A father who lost his son during the Las Vegas massacre has written an emotional letter to his deceased son, whom he described as a hero.
29-year-old Sonny lost his life whilst he was protecting his wife Heather from gunfire. The couple were desperately trying to flee the area when he was shot.
Sonny’s father James penned a touching letter to his late son.
The letter was shared by a family friend on Facebook.
The grieving father wrote about hearing the news, “I received the telephone call that everyone, especially a parent fears. The words came fast from the phone's speaker, too fast as I tried to wake up and shake the sleep stupid feeling off. 30 seconds later, I prayed to sleep stupid, drunk, having a nightmare or crazy.”
He hoped it was all a nightmare, but unfortunately his son had passed away, “James Sonny, my youngest son at 29 years of age, was dead. Bullets in his back as he lay over his wife, protecting her as best he could with all he had available, his body.”
The father wrote about how his son remained a hero up until his final moments, “In this sea of carnage, Sonny was a hero right up until the bullets pierced his back and lungs and he couldn't go on.”
It is understood that the couple were mere yards away from safety, “Sonny always kept his own body between the danger and his wife. A running human shield.”
Sonny’s wife Heather refused to leave him behind, she put her own life at risk so she could stay with him, “She stopped and turned around to kneel by his side. She stayed right there and started CPR there out in the open on the cold ground in a last-ditch chance to save her husband.”
The father expressed his gratitude for two young men who helped move Sonny to their pickup truck, “They loaded Sonny and two other victims into the bed of the truck and raced to the closest hospital. One guy driving, the other helping Heather give CPR to Sonny.”
Sonny worked as an ER nurse and his life mission was to help save people’s lives. Unfortunately, the doctors couldn’t save him, Sonny was pronounced dead in the ER, “He lived up to that high standard until the very bitter end.”
Sonny’s father hoped he helped him become the kind-hearted man he grew up to be. James ended the letter by calling his son a hero, “He stood the final test. He was Just a good guy, doing what good guys do. He was a hero. Sonny was a hero.”
