Major League Baseball has announced that the ceremonial first pitch for the 2011 MLB All-Star Game will feature a tribute to January's Tucson shooting that touched so close to home. Daniel Hernandez, an intern who was at the shopping center on the morning of the tragic shooting, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch on Tuesday. He will be joined on the mound by a legend of the game, Diamondbacks announcer Joe Garagiola Sr.
Hernandez is credited with helping to save the live of U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords as detailed by the Arizona Republic in this story.
The junior at the University of Arizona was helping check people in at the "Congress on Your Corner" event when he heard gunfire. He was about 30 feet from the congresswoman. When the shots began, he ran toward them.
When the shots began that morning, he saw many people lying on the ground, including a young girl. Some were bleeding. Hernandez said he moved from person to person checking pulses.
"First the neck, then the wrist," he said. One man was already dead. Then he saw Giffords. She had fallen and was lying contorted on the sidewalk. She was bleeding.
Using his hand, Hernandez applied pressure to the entry wound on her forehead. He pulled her into his lap, holding her upright against him so she wouldn't choke on her own blood.
[...] The fact that Hernandez was nearby and able to react quickly probably saved Giffords' life, said state Rep. Matt Heinz, D-Tucson, and a hospital physician.
"It was probably not the best idea to run toward the gunshots, but people needed help."
The little girl mentioned in the story was Christina Taylor Green, the daughter of Los Angeles Dodgers scout John Green and granddaughter for former Phillies manager Dallas Green. She died in the shooting.