By: Teresa Mull

Glendon Oakley, a soldier and permitted gun owner, pulled out his weapon, ran to the scene of yesterday’s mass shooting in El Paso, and carried several children to safety.

“I’m in the military, so when I hear gunshots, I just think ‘take cover,’” Oakley said in an interview with MSNBC. “But I was so worried about those kids.”

The Army Times reports Oakley is a an automated logistical specialist assigned to the 504th Composite Supply Company stationed at Fort Bliss.

According to the Times:

Oakley said he was shopping at a Foot Locker when a child ran into the store and reported the mass shooting. Seconds later, he heard gunfire.

Oakley, who has a gun permit, drew his weapon and ran out of the store.

“I saw a whole bunch of kids running around without their parents … I tried to pick up as many as I could and bring them with me,” he told the news station.

“One suspect, identified as 21-year-old Patrick Crusius, is in custody,” The Tribunist reports. “The shooter’s motive is still unclear, though law enforcement believes that Crusius may have posted a manifesto online before the attack.

“A second person was taken into custody as well, though it isn’t immediately clear what their involvement may be, if any.”

The shooting left 20 people dead and dozens wounded.

Teresa Mull is editor of Gunpowder Magazine. Contact her at [email protected].