Thousand Oaks tragedy: Malibu woman credits Sgt. Ron Helus with saving her sister's life
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (KABC) -- A Malibu woman praised Sgt. Ron Helus for saving the life of her sister, who was at Borderline Bar & Grill on the night of the mass shooting.
Destiny Malibu said her sister Desiree, 25, was at the nightclub when gun shots rang out. Malibu attended Helus' memorial service on Thursday, but she said her sister was too overwhelmed to come.
MORE: Remembering the victims of the Thousand Oaks mass shooting
"She didn't see the shooter. She heard the gunshots and started running toward the back door," Malibu said.
Malibu said if it wasn't for Helus, her sister may have not made it.
"If he wouldn't have jumped in at the time he did, we may have lost a lot more people in the community," she said. "He's a hero in every definition. We'll forever honor him and remember him for saving so many lives, including my sister's."
The day after the shooting, she said her childhood home, located near Calamigos Ranch in Malibu, burned down in the Woolsey Fire.
MORE: Community center opens doors for Borderline victim families, Woolsey Fire evacuees in same week
"It's very difficult to have your sister in a shooting and have your childhood lifelong home burn down the next day is a lot to process," she described.
She said she and her family are staying with other family members in Los Angeles.
"My sister is a very strong woman, and I've always looked up to her for that, so she's holding it together I think mostly for the rest of us because we're kind of falling apart," she said.
