10-year-old girl saved toddler as gunman opened fire at Gilroy Garlic Festival, family says

GILROY, Calif. — A 10-year-old girl is being hailed as a hero after family members said she saved a toddler's life Sunday after a gunman opened fire at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in California.

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According to KGO-TV and The Associated Press, workers Candice Marquez and Cheryl Low left the girl, who is Marquez's niece and Low's granddaughter, inside the Honey Ladies tent as the women took a bathroom break. Their boss' family, including a 3-year-old boy, also was inside the tent, the outlets reported.

Moments later, Marquez and Low walked out of the port-a-potties, heard shots ring out and saw the gunman.

"His gun was pointed to the ground. He was trying to put another clip in it, then he started walking away," Marquez said Monday in an interview with "Good Morning America."

The girl later told the women that she watched as the gunman shot their boss and the boss' husband. She then quickly sprang into action to save the couple's young son, Marquez told KGO.

"She grabbed him and hid him under the table so that he didn't get shot," Marquez said.

Another witness moved the children behind a freezer to keep them safe, Low added.

The women's boss and her husband are still in the hospital, KGO reported.

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– The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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