MALVEAUX: In the wake of shootings like this, tales of heroes emerge, Chris Mintz fits that title. He is the Army veteran, who tried to keep the gunman from entering his classroom during the rampage using his body to try to block the way. CNN's Jean Casarez has his story.</s>JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When a gunman opened fire at Umpqua Community College early Thursday morning, it was a scene of terror and chaos.</s>UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: Somebody is outside one of the doors.</s>CASAREZ: The 30-year-old Chris Mintz reacted instinctively trying to save lives.</s>WANDA MINTZ, CHRIS' AUNT: He tried to block the door to keep the gunman from coming in. He gets shot three times, hits the floor.</s>CASAREZ: Even after being wounded and facing the killer, his family says Chris was thinking of his 6-year-old son.</s>MINTZ: He looks up at the gunman and says, it is my son's birthday today.</s>CASAREZ: But that didn't stop the gunman from shooting Chris in his back, his stomach, his arms and his legs. According to his family, Chris was shot a total of seven times while trying to defend his fellow classmates. Long before heroic actions at college, he was a star at his local high school in North Carolina, number 71, defensive tackle, after graduation, joining the United States Army from 2004 to 2007 achieving the rank of specialist and being awarded a national defense service medal. Now, with two broken legs, his focus is on healing and spending time with his family.</s>ARIANA EARNHARDT, CHRIS'COUSIN: He is OK. He is going to have to learn to walk again. He walked away with his life and that's more than so many other people did.</s>MALVEAUX: What an amazing guy. That report from CNN's Jean Casarez. Mintz' family has started a "Go Fund Me" page to help with the physical therapy that he is facing once he is released from the hospital. He has a long way to go. We'll be right back.
Army Vet Wounded Trying To Stop Gunman