Nicole Ruffino credits country singer Bryan Hopkins with saving her life.
A desperate escape into a freezer saved dozens of lives during the Las Vegas massacre and for one couple, it led to love.
Singer Bryan Hopkins of the country group Elvis Monroe is the hero who guided concertgoers into a giant ice cooler to hide out as gunfire erupted.
Nicole Ruffino was sitting by his side. At that moment, the two barely knew each other, but just seconds earlier, Hopkins had gone out of his way to save her life.
“I went back and I grabbed her hand,” he told Inside Edition.
The pair had met briefly after Ruffino recognized the singer and asked for a selfie, not long before the deadly shots rained down on country music fans exactly one year ago Monday.
When gunfire rang out, Hopkins started running toward the stage. But when he spotted Ruffino in the crowd, he turned back to grab her.
“I always think what would have happened if he didn’t grab my hand,” she said.
Afterward, the two began to feel a bond.
“He would call me at all hours of the day and night and so would I. If we had nightmares we would call each other,” she said.
One year later, as they return to scene of the mass shooting, they are grateful for finding love amid so much tragedy.
“Out of something so horrible, we found each other,” he said.
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