A Frenchman among the 129 persons killed in the Paris massacre died after he heroically threw himself in front of a bullet to protect a woman from gunfire.
A Frenchman among the at least 129 persons killed in the Paris massacre died after he heroically threw himself in front of a bullet to protect a woman from the gunfire, according to reports.
Ludovic Boumbas was dining at La Belle Equipe to celebrate a friend’s birthday in the Rue de Charonne in the 11th district Friday night when two gunmen opened fire on the restaurant.
While many instinctively threw themselves onto the ground in the desperate search for safety, Boumbas launched himself toward the hail of bullets to protect a woman, the Daily Mail reported.
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“Ludo threw himself forward to protect a girl and took the bullet,” a friend told the Mail.
The woman he saved was reportedly shot as well and is in critical condition.
Boumbas’ loved ones took to social media to remember the 40-year-old FedEx driver, writing that the Congolese man grew up in Lille, northern France.
Ludovic Boumbas ami d'enfance à #Lille sud décédé dans les #FusilladeParis #RIP mes condoléances à la famille :-( pic.twitter.com/zE0BgWz3In
— Géant-Vert (@chilavertlille) November 15, 2015
“He was just one of life’s good, good people,” a friend told the Mail.
Boumbas was celebrating waitress Houda Saadi’s 35th birthday when the restaurant came under attack.
She and her sister Halima Saadi, 36, were among the 19 killed.
The sisters were from the Tunisian town of Menzel Bourguiba but lived in France, officials said. They reportedly died in their brothers' arms as the men tried to save them, the Mail wrote.
Emergency responders arrived within 10 minutes of when the shooting began at the Cambodian restaurant, which was transformed into a memorial as hundreds gathered over the weekend and start of the week to pay their respects.
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