SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — A Gonzaga University student from Tampa, Fla., is a hero today after rescuing a suicidal man who jumped into the Spokane River.
ROTC cadet Christopher Smith found himself dangling from a ledge above the river before daybreak on Friday to reach the man.
The Spokesman-Review (http://bit.ly/pu6azr ) reports Smith pulled the man out and tried to keep him warm until firefighters arrived. Smith had been out on a morning run with two other ROTC students when another jogger told them someone was in the river.
As they waited, they talked about the man’s reasons for wanting to die. The man told Smith he was out of work and recently divorced.