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Dramatic video shows man shielding girlfriend from Dayton shooter: "I was certain that I was going to be next"

Man shields girlfriend in Dayton shooting
Dramatic video shows man shielding girlfriend during Dayton shooting 02:01

When a mass shooter opened fire this weekend in Dayton, Ohio, Camryn Crowder immediately took action. Terrifying video from the scene of the attack shows Crowder jumping on top of his girlfriend to shield her from the man who was shooting just a few yards away.

"I saw people getting hit. I literally saw them fall…" Crowder said. "I was certain that I was going to be next in line, really, at some point."

As bullets flew past them, the new father jumped on top of his girlfriend to protect her from the gunfire. "I was pretty nervous," he said. "I mean, I thought for sure that it was gonna be my last day really being alive."

His aim, he said, was to make the pair less of a target by falling to the ground.  "It was really about me getting her out of the way," he said. "Making sure that she was safe."  

In total, Dayton shooter Connor Betts killed nine people before he was shot and killed by police. "It was just a trail of bodies laying there," Crowder said. "I had seen about four people that had gotten hit. Laying on the sidewalk and in the middle of the street."  

Both Crowder and his girlfriend survived the attack unscathed. She said that if it wasn't for Crowder, she doesn't think she would have made it out alive. 

Crowder said he was spared by "the grace of God."

"I mean, I was just one of the lucky ones," he added.

Authorities are continue to search for a possible motive in the shooting. CBS News spoke with the Dayton police chief, who said that everyone the department has interviewed so far has cooperated with the investigation.

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