Heroes

The first police officer on the scene of the Allen, TX mass shooting last month wasted no time in grabbing his weapon and engaging the gunman ... all captured in dramatic body cam footage.

The footage, released Wednesday, starts with the unnamed Allen PD officer talking to a family in the parking lot of the Allen Premium Outlets in a friendly exchange about the importance of wearing seatbelts ... when all of a sudden, gunshots ring out.

The officer immediately goes from nice guy to action hero -- immediately grabbing his rifle and running toward the gunshots -- all while radioing to his supervisors for assistance.

As the officer gets closer, he sees bodies on the ground, letting his dispatcher know it appears to be a mass-shooter event. Finally, the officer gets eyes on the gunman, and opens fire -- taking him down with multiple shots.

The hero cop is eventually joined by another officer, and they approach the body of the shooter, Mauricio Garcia, sprawled out and bloody.

It's absolutely stunning and admirable how quickly this officer sprung into action ... and he very likely saved numerous lives that day.

As we've reported ... Garcia shot and killed 8 people -- including several minors -- and injured 7 others in his rampage. No motive has been identified for his actions ... but he spewed hate online and even sported swastika tattoos.

Grab tissues ... Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris just reunited with the little boy he rescued from drowning last month, getting a big hug from the 3-year-old child whose life he saved!

The special moment came two weeks after young Wyatt was rescued by Morris and fellow good samaritan, Dr. Andrew Oleksyn, after he was found blue at the bottom of the Encore hotel swimming pool in Las Vegas.

"Good Morning America" captured the reunion on video ... showing Wyatt, and his mother Kelseigh Stanley, giving Morris a huge hug.

"It's truly a miracle, truly," Stanley said.

Dr. Oleksyn -- an ER physician -- also met with Wyatt, visiting him at the hospital, and describing it as a very emotional moment.

Both Morris and Dr. Oleksyn spoke about what happened that day ... with Raheem saying he heard a parent scream and then saw Wyatt unconscious poolside.

The Rams coach continued, saying he could feel the "panic of it all," jumping into action, asking the on-duty lifeguard for the location of the automatic external defibrillator (AED), something Morris learned at a recent training with the Rams (in light of the Damar Hamlin incident).

Dr. Oleksyn performed CPR while Morris retrieved the AED ... and shortly after, Wyatt started to come back, spitting water from his lungs, and developing a pulse -- thanks to the effort of Coach Morris and Dr. Oleksyn.

Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris is a real-life hero ... the L.A. assistant coach helped save a 3-year-old boy from drowning at a Las Vegas hotel pool over the weekend.

The terrifying incident happened at the Encore, when, according to a post on Morris' wife's social media page, a little boy was pulled from the water without a pulse by his father.

An on-duty lifeguard raced over to provide aid to the toddler ... and, thankfully, a quick-thinking Morris jumped in to help too by grabbing a nearby automatic external defibrillator (AED).

"I saw people calling 911 so my first question was, where is the AED?" Morris said to ESPN on Wednesday. "When I got back, we had a doctor on site that was able to start the compressions. I was able to hand the AED to him, get it open for him, put the pads on the child, and he ended up being OK."

Morris' wife said the kid was taken to a nearby hospital ... and, thankfully, discharged a day later.

Morris -- who joined Sean McVay's Rams staff in 2021 -- said training he received recently in the wake of the Damar Hamlin medical emergency helped him know what to do in the horrifying situation.

Rams COO Kevin Demoff added that he believed the training played a significant role in the heroic efforts as well.

Ralph Yarl is alive today thanks, in part, to the actions of 2 neighbors who came to his assistance minutes after Andrew Lester shot the 16-year-old boy twice -- and one of those neighbors is tearfully sharing the traumatic experience.

Jodi Rae joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live," and was almost immediately choked up remembering when Ralph banged on her front door, desperately seeking help. She says she couldn't see out her front door, and was uncertain about what was going on outside.

She had not heard the gunshots, but says it was clear Ralph was in dire need of assistance ... so, she decided to call 911. The operator told her there was an active shooter in the area, and advised Jodi not to open her door.

This definitely created a massive dilemma for Jodi ... one that brought her to tears as she told us about it -- she wanted to make sure her own son remained safe in their home, but also wanted to help Ralph, who she could see through her window falling to his knees.

Jodi says once she saw another neighbor walking outside, she figured the danger must have passed ... and immediately ran to Ralph's side. When she saw pools of blood outside her door, she realized the teen had been shot.

The story gets even more gripping and emotional at this point ... Jodi says she and a male neighbor used a towel to apply pressure to Ralph's head wound, held his hand and talked to him about school ... anything to keep his mind off the pain he was clearly suffering.

She fought through tears to tell us what Ralph told them about getting shot. She says she's had very limited contact with the shooter, Lester, since moving to the Kansas City neighborhood last year.

Jodi says she just kept thinking, "That's somebody's son," and knew she had to do something to help him. Sadly, she says there's been some backlash against her and other neighbors ... people who are, incorrectly, assuming the community did nothing to help Ralph.

While that's clearly not what happened, Jodi says she's mostly concerned with Ralph's recovery. She says, "Nothing compares to what that young man is living through every day."

The headmaster killed in the Nashville school mass shooting died a hero ... reportedly trying to stop the assailant in order to save her students.

Katherine Koonce was one of six people shot dead at Covenant School on Monday as Audrey Hale went on a bloody rampage with two assault rifles and a 9MM semi-automatic.

The head of school had previously prepared her students and staff for an active shooter situation and fearlessly sprang into action when the bullets started flying.

Nashville City Councilman Russ Pulley told FOX News that Koonce, 60, promptly ended a Zoom meeting after the first gunshot and didn't think twice about going after the 28-year-old Hale.

Pulley said, "She immediately ended the call, got up and headed straight for the shooter," indicating that Koonce may have clashed with Hale in a hallway.

Pulley added, "She did what principals and headmasters do; she protected her children."

Nashville Police Chief John Drake confirmed at a Tuesday press conference that Koonce was involved in a "confrontation, I’m sure – you can tell the way she was lying in the hallway," but Drake did not elaborate.

Koontz's local pastor, John Bourgeois, celebrated her selfless act in a message to his congregation at West End Community Church in Nashville. Bourgeois wrote, "She gave her life in defense of the children under her care."

Police say two of Koontz's colleagues, both 61, were also murdered: Cynthia Peak, a substitute teacher and Mike Hill, a custodian. In addition, three 9-year-old students were killed: Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney.

Two cops were seen on body cam footage fatally shooting Hale on the second floor of the private Christian elementary school.

Chief Drake said Hale had written a manifesto detailing the deadly attack and listing other potential targets. The contents of the manifesto were not disclosed.

Drake also said Hale -- who was a biological female but identified as male -- was a former student at the school and resented having to attend classes there, which was "why this incident occurred."

Actor Bryce Durfee has become a bit of a SoCal Superman ... because we've learned he's been rescuing families that would otherwise be stranded during the recent blizzard.

The "Hacks" and "9-1-1" actor and his wife Amber were just a couple of the many stuck in the Lake Arrowhead area as it got hit with a ton of snow this week. Amber and some of the neighbors tell us Bryce has been spending time saving others in the area.

We're told he's been removing the snow surrounding people's homes with just a shovel -- pretty impressive. He's done four rescue missions so far ... one of which was for a group of kids who got stuck in their house after it was completely buried.

On top of that, Bryce has been clearing the snow from gas lines and roofs to prevent fires and structures from collapsing.

Bryce has even been acting as the community's InstaCart shopper ... getting groceries for those who can't leave their homes. He did a huge run Thursday that fed five families, even getting dog food for his neighbors' pets.

As you know, SoCal was hit pretty hard with flooding and snow, causing quite a bit of destruction. Police and emergency rescue folks weren't able to help Bryce's community for a while because of a lack of access. The National Guard just showed up Thursday.

Michael Peña has nothing but well wishes for Jeremy Renner after his snowplow accident ... saying he hopes he makes a full recovery, after saving lives on and off camera.

We caught up with Michael at LAX and asked all about his fellow Marvel Cinematic Universe star ... who's, of course, healing after a snowcat crushed him -- shattering more than 30 bones -- while he was trying to rescue his nephew.

Michael tells us, he hopes Jeremy fully recovers soon. In his words ... 30 is whole a lot of bones to break, so he's wishing him the best of luck.

You could tell he was pleasantly surprised at how positive Jeremy's been through such a horrific situation.

In case you didn't know, both actors are part of the MCU -- Michael in the 'Ant-Man' franchise and Jeremy in the 'Avengers' flicks -- plus, they costarred in "American Hustle."

While this obviously sucks for JR ... who won't be able to work for a while ... MP says Disney should hold the Hawkeye role until he's ready to get back in action.

A child hanging on for dear life on the edge of a balcony in China received the superhero treatment, courtesy of his neighbor ... who literally turned into Spider-Man to save the day.

Watch this video shot in the city of Foshan, located in the Guangdong Province near south China ... showing a young kid who's got his head stuck between two metal posts, which are the only things stopping him from dropping down 7 stories off his apartment patio.

It's scary -- the boy's got nearly his entire body dangling over the edge ... as he desperately tries to get himself back onto the balcony, to no avail. People are looking from down below and seemingly calling for help -- which came in the form of a quick-thinking do-gooder.

It appears that a man living next door jumps out onto his patio gate, and then shimmies his way to where the kid is ... who then starts to push him back through the bars. The camera pans away for a bit, and when it refocuses -- you see a woman, presumably a family member, on the other side of the gate trying to help get the child back inside safely.

Their efforts eventually work, and the boy is slid back inside without any harm falling on him. The neighbor then begins to slide his way back to his unit -- it doesn't seem he could just hop the gate or easily enter, so he had to go back the long (and dangerous) way.

China is known for its high-rise apartments ... which are usually stacked pretty close together. The structure here seems no different -- and, thankfully, the architecture came in handy for this man to pull off some heroics.

Dev Patel sprung into action when cameras weren't rolling -- stopping a knife fight between a man and woman down in Australia ... but apparently not wanting credit for his heroic deed.

The English actor -- famous for roles in 'Slumdog Millionaire,' 'Lion,' 'The Green Knight,' etc. -- was involved in a skirmish Monday in the city of Adelaide, where he currently resides. According to 7News, DP threw himself between a couple who were going at it.

Witnesses say this guy and gal had been arguing at a service station/convenience store, and were getting so heated that others tried stepping in to break them apart -- but they kept at it.

The woman allegedly then stabbed the man in the chest with a knife, and it's at this point that Dev was reportedly in the mix. It seems whatever he did to separate them helped keep a bad situation from getting worse -- and he stayed on the scene afterward to talk to cops.

The man was taken to a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, so it seems he's okay. The woman, meanwhile, was arrested. Now, Dev should be taking all the pats on the back he can get right now, he doesn't seem to want much acknowledgment for what he did here.

Nick Bostic, the heroic pizza delivery guy who saved 5 kids from a burning house, is getting some serious recognition for his life-saving actions ... and it might make his NASCAR dreams come true.

Nick tells us honchos at NASCAR reached out to him and invited him to be a special guest at Sunday's race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

It sounds like Nick will be in for a bunch of surprises when he's a VIP at the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard, he's not sure what's in store, but he's hoping to get behind the wheel of a race car.

Nick says it's always been his dream to be a NASCAR driver, he sounds confident he might blow his hosts away with his racing talent, if he's given the chance to show what he can do.

Remember ... Nick was driving through Lafayette, Indiana back on July 11 when he spotted a house engulfed in flames with no firetrucks or other emergency vehicles in sight.

Nick acted quickly, rushing into the home and leading 4 children safety before realizing there was a 6-year-old girl trapped still inside. He found her and jumped from a second-story window with her in his arms, using his body to cushion the fall and saving her life.

It's good to see Nick getting the recognition he deserves ... and it sounds like his recovery is going well.

This has gotta be the best -- THE BEST -- messaging so far in the election ... the reimagining of "The Avengers" ... telling the story of an army of Joe Biden supporters who inspired millions to vote Donald Trump out of office.

It's so good ... you see the sun rise as Stacey Abrams, Barack Obama and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms emerge from the shadows. As the video's villain -- yes, you guessed it -- urges an end to the vote count, others emerge in their fight for democracy -- Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg, Corey Booker, AOC, Nancy Pelosi, Gretchen Whitmer and many, many more.

Cops are calling John Marshall Jones a hero ... not only for rushing out of his house in his underwear to douse a fire, but for chasing down the alleged arsonist behind the blaze.

John, who played special agent Jay Griffin on the Amazon hit "Bosch," tells TMZ ... he was watching TV early Tuesday morning when he looked out the window to see his neighbor's car, front porch and front door on fire.

The veteran actor says he instantly reacted -- bypassing any pants -- and ran out to grab a garden hose to put out the flames. While he was out there, John says a man wearing a ski mask and heavy jacket ran up to the porch and tried to grab something before fleeing.

Once again, Johnny-on-the-spot bolted after the mysterious guy ... who he says reached for a baseball bat. John -- who goes 6'3" and 240 lbs. -- says he wrestled him to the ground, though, and held him until cops arrived.

Law enforcement sources confirmed much of John's account about the 6 AM blaze and his chase of the suspect. We're told John's neighbors were able to escape the burning home, including a teenager and the family dog.

Now, John's being hailed as a true hero for saving lives and nabbing the suspect. Cops claim the guy started the fire with gasoline ... they found a container in his car, and arrested him for arson with great bodily injury.

"Fast N' Loud" star Richard Rawlings surprised the hell out of one of his fans ... an off-duty cop whose heroic effort is now being rewarded with a free trip to Richard's famous garage.

The hot rod guru tells TMZ ... he got on the horn this week with East Chicago Police detective Bill Johnsen to commend him and reward him for his selfless act during a shooting inside a Walmart in Hobart, Indiana.

ICYMI ... Johnsen and his family were shopping for fishing supplies last weekend when, out of nowhere, gunshots rang out. Naturally, it triggered a stampede for the exits. Johnsen rushed his family out of the store, but then ran back inside to locate the shooter.

Johnsen says he first found the victim -- who'd been shot in the stomach -- and then the shooter. The cop, who works with the gangs/narcotics unit, says the shooter appeared to give up, but with the rise in mass shootings, he wasn't taking any chances. He snatched the shooter's gun and disassembled it on the spot.

When Rawlings saw news stories about the incident, he noticed Johnsen wearing a tee with the logo for Gas Monkey Garage -- the Dallas-based garage where they shoot 'FNL.'

Rawlings -- who's a former police officer and even got shot in the arm once -- invited Johnsen and his wife, Nikki, to visit his garage and his restaurant. He says they're gonna hook up September 19.

RR's gonna pick up their whole tab -- air travel, accommodations, food, beer ... the whole shebang.

Attendees at Comic-Con's 2018 Cosplay immediately kicked things into third gear Day 1 with their studio-quality costumes ... trust us, they're incredible.

Comic-Con kicked off Thursday in San Diego and tons of fans flooded the city showing off their super fashion sense. It's pretty awesome ... from some freakishly realistic-looking Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and The Flash to an adorable family rocking The Incredibles' costumes.