Naperville mom hailed as hero in UT Austin attack

NAPERVILLE, Ill. (WLS) -- A mother from west suburban Naperville is being hailed as a hero after she risked her life to help a victim of Monday's deadly stabbing rampage at a Texas University.

"People were running, running, running all over and I was like, 'What's going on, who's hurt?'" Leona Di Amore said.

While visiting her daughter in Austin, Texas, a violent scene erupted on campus. Police scrambled to respond to reports of a man with a knife stabbing students.

"People are screaming and running, so I turned around to my daughter and said stay in the building, do not leave," she said.

As people ran for their lives, she left her daughter's side and ran straight for the chaos.

"I did run, and when you're military trained and you're a first responder and things are going down, people need help," she said.

Now a chiropractor in Naperville, the former U.S. Navy medic found a student suffering from a brutal wound. In a photo taken moments after the attack, you can see Di Amore staying at his side.

"And I was like, 'What happened, what happened?' and he said 'I've been stabbed,' " she said. "I wanted to keep him calm."

Police arrested Kendrex White and said he killed one student and injured three others, including the young man Di Amore likely saved.

"I was meant to be there for him that day, there's no doubt in my mind," she said.

Di Amore said the wound was so severe she could see his spine, and believes he would have died within minutes had she not helped. She said she's spoken to the boy she helped, that he is recovering, and she hopes to meet him and his family in Texas.