The Las Vegas shooting caused heroes like professional poker player Dan Bilzerian to rise through adversity but Marine Corps veteran Dakota Meyer is not impressed and has criticized him for filming himself during the incident.
The self-proclaimed King of Instagram is now subject of numerous headlines after getting caught up in the massive shooting that killed nearly 60 people and injured hundreds more in what is now dubbed as the deadliest U.S. shooting in modern history.
According to ABC News , there was “ non-stop gunfire ” during the incident where the shooter, perched on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino and armed with a high-powered machine gun, as concertgoers enjoying the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival were forced to duck and take cover.
During the event, heroes such as professional poker player and Instagram star Dan Bilzerian came to aid one of the victims as he reportedly took a severely injured woman to safety as he fled the Las Vegas shooting crime scene.
According to People , Bilzerian took one terrified and injured woman to his van and brought her to the hospital . After describing that particular moment when she saw the victim, he told the outlet how he decided to bring her to the nearest medical facility.
“She was dead. She had been shot in the head, and her brain was showing,” he told the outlet.
After that, he said he returned to the scene to try and save others, wielding his own gun for protection only to find that law enforcers have already arrived.
“It was a pretty strong wake up call. This stuff can happen without warning anywhere. It’s not smart to get caught without a gun.”
When asked whether or not he would do it again, Dan Bilzerian answered, “I don’t think it was heroic at all. I just wanted to do the right thing.”
Despite this, the social media star was criticized for filming himself while running away from the apparent danger in the Las Vegas shooting.
In a post on Twitter that has since been deleted, Medal of Honor awardee and Marine Corps veteran Dakota Meyer called out the poker player for pretending to be a hero.
“This is why children shouldn’t classify heroes by their followers or their photos. @danbilzerian this is what kills me about people like you. Always playing ‘operator dress up’ and so so tough when cameras are on,” he wrote.
“A woman just got shot in the head and you are running away filming that’s not what operators do. Please stop trying to be someone [you’re] not. People are dying, you’re running away not helping them and pretending it’s worthy of a video is disgusting.”
Meyer served with the United States Marine Corps and received the Medal of Honor for the Battle of Ganjgal in Afghanistan on September 8, 2009. He is married to Sarah Palin’s daughter, Bristol Palin.
Meanwhile, the Daily Mail revealed that Bilzerian had tried out for the Navy in 2000 but “ failed to graduate despite several attempts.” The outlet said that he was dropped because of a “safety violation on the shooting range.”
What do you think of Dan Bilzerian’s actions during the Las Vegas shooting? Sound off in the comments below.
[Featured Image by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images]