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How Savannah's Instagram post reunited a Las Vegas survivor and her hero

Las Vegas shooting survivor Taylor Stovall thought she'd never find the man who saved her. That's when TODAY's own Savannah Guthrie took to social media to find him.
/ Source: TODAY

Taylor Stovall thought she'd never get to thank the man who helped save her life. That's when social media and a well-connected liaison named Savannah Guthrie kicked into play.

Stovall met the TODAY anchor at Las Vegas' University Medical Center. The 17-year-old high school senior was recovering from a gunshot wound in the arm, which she sustained while attending the country music festival that was targeted by a lone gunman Sunday night.

Stovall initially thought she had been hit by a paintball.

“I just thought there was someone shooting paintballs at us. I would never expect that to happen at a concert. It was just crazy,” she told Guthrie.

Stovall and a friend started running for cover when they realized what was happening.

“We ran behind buildings and then I saw this guy and he grabbed me and helped me tie my arm and took me to the ambulance,” she said.

The stranger’s name was Parker. He put her arm around his neck and held her tight until he helped her into an ambulance.

Stovall never got to thank her rescuer in person until shortly after her interview with the TODAY anchor, who described the story in an Instagram post.

“(Stovall) wants to thank a stranger named Parker who helped her to safety," she captioned the post. "She doesn’t know how to find him. And here is something that gave me a lump in my throat. She has a brother named Parker. What are the chances her saving angel has the same name?”

The young man’s mother-in-law spotted Savannah’s post and reached out to her, and the two have since connected.

“They plan to meet some day soon,” Savannah said in a follow-up post. “Parker is a former Army medic and a student at the University of Arizona. They live in my hometown of Tucson - as it turns out. Beautiful people. Much love and thanks to them. He saved his wife Sarah too.”

Parker's wife noted in a separate Instagram post that her husband first made sure she was safely outside the venue and then went back to help others.

Stovall's mom later confirmed on her own social media account that they had spoken to Parker, "the person that saved our baby girl! Such an amazing person and incredibly humble."

She also thanked everyone for helping to track down the family's hero.