Described by friends as “a protector to all of those he loved,” 45-year-old Shannon Johnson wrapped his arms around his younger female co-worker when the shooting began and told her, “I got you.”

Johnson died in the San Bernardino massacre last week. Denise Peraza, the 27-year-old he comforted, lived.

Peraza told reporters in a statement over the weekend that she is alive because Johnson selflessly shielded her from the gunfire:

Wednesday morning at 10:55 a.m. we were seated next to each other at a table, joking about how we thought the large clock on the wall might be broken because time seemed to be moving so slowly.

I would have never guessed that only 5 minutes later, we would be huddled next to each other under the same table, using a fallen chair as a shield from over 60 rounds of bullets being fired across the room.

Read the article “‘I Got You:’ San Bernardino Victim Shielded Female Co-Worker During Shooting, Saving Her Life” on washingtonpost.com.