Victim was trampled while helping cousin shot during Cincinnati mass shooting

CINCINNATI (WKRC) – One of the nine victims in the mass shooting at a Cincinnati music venue was trampled while trying to help his cousin who was bleeding from a gunshot wound.

Anton Canady was one of many patrons celebrating a birthday at the Riverfront Live music venue when gunfire rang out, leaving nine people injured, including himself and his cousin.

“When I heard it go off, the first thing I was thinking of is, you know, get my family to safety,” Canady recounted. “It was horrifying.”

One of the nine victims in the mass shooting at a Cincinnati music venue was trampled while trying to help his cousin who was bleeding from a gunshot wound. (WKRC)

Canady was near one of the doors when the shooting started, which he said came “out of nowhere.”

“In the midst of the chaos, I couldn’t really think about anything but saving my people,” he said. “Get myself together, get out of there, and that was my only intention.”

Canady’s plans changed when he turned to see that his cousin had been shot. That’s when his instincts kicked in.

“I tied a shirt around her leg to try to stop the bleeding, and the gunfire was still going off,” he remembered. “After I made sure she was good, it was just like, get out of there and save yourself.”

“If you stand up in the midst of gunfire, there could be some chaos behind that. We laid there. It was like 40 people stomping over me, stomping, stomping, stomping. I couldn’t even get up if I wanted to.”

Canady spent the night in the hospital, but was released late Sunday morning. Doctors told him that he may have suffered a bruised spine.

“I should be okay, but I am in so much pain,” he said. “My hand and my knuckle, everything. It was just crazy, [but] I’m alive. The important thing is just living, to be able to see my children once all this stuff was over.”

Canady said that as of the interview, he did not have a chance to talk to his cousin.

UC Medical Center said earlier that one person was in critical condition, but during the latest update in the 2 p.m. media conference by the City of Cincinnati, it was stated that there wasn’t anybody listed as critical. The investigation remains ongoing, with detectives continuing to interview victims and witnesses.