Brewers prospect was 'human shield' during Las Vegas shooting

Brewers prospect Bubba Derby was among the heroes during and after the mass shooting in Las Vegas. (MLB)
Brewers prospect Bubba Derby was among the heroes during and after the mass shooting in Las Vegas. (MLB)

On Monday, we learned that Milwaukee Brewers prospect Bowdien “Bubba” Derby was among the thousands in attendance at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas when a gunman opened fire, killing 58 and wounding hundreds of others in the worst mass shooting in US history.

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Upon learning the news, we considered Derby one of the lucky ones to escape unharmed. We’ve since learned he was also among the many heroes that night, with survivors and eyewitnesses saying Derby acted as a human shield and support system for two women he’d never met.

(Facebook)
(Facebook)
(Facebook)
(Facebook)

Derby was standing near the stage with his girlfriend, cousin, and aunt when the shooting began. His sister and her husband were further away from the stage. Each of his family members walked away uninjured.

Derby opened up about the horrifying experience in an interview with TMZ Sports on Tuesday.

“We didn’t know where the shots were coming from. “It sounded like they were on top of us. Everyone got down. We tried to get as low to the ground as possible. The first thing I did was look for my family.”

“I turned around and looked to find my aunt, and I’ll never forget the look on her face. We made eye contact and we thought we were about to die. You could hear the bullets ricocheting. It’s one of those moments where you just want to try to get out of there.”

Derby confirmed he did not know the two girls he helped shield. He also revealed that his cousin helped shield people as well.

Derby was a sixth-round pick by the Oakland A’s in 2015. He was traded to the Brewers prior to the 2016 season as part of the Khris Davis deal. The pitching prospect appeared in 30 games between Double-A Biloxi and Triple-A Colorado Springs in 2017, posting a 3.26 ERA.

It seems like only a matter of time before he makes his MLB debut. Any accomplishments there though will pale in comparison to his heroic efforts on Sunday night in Las Vegas.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!