Espanola shooting: Men use bodies to shield women and children during New Mexico convenience store gunfight

'I didn't have time to react or think about anything else,' says off duty firefighter

Members of the public who rushed to shield women and children from gunfire during a shooting at a New Mexico petrol station, have been praised for their bravery.

As shoppers ran for cover, the gunman fired bullets at the glass shop front from the petrol station's forecourt.

CCTV footage of the incident, posted online by the local police department in the city of Espanola, has gone viral after capturing the heroics of several men on film. The force praised the men for their selflessness.

It captured men offering protection to women and children as they dived out of shot, although two people remained trapped near the front of the building.

The man, since identified as off-duty firefighter Enrico Trujillo, is seen covering a female friend with his body to protect her from the gunfire.

No one was injured in the shooting and Mr Trujillo and others who put themselves in harm’s way have been praised by police for their selflessness.

“I didn't have time to react or think about anything else, I saw two people fighting and by then a crowd started to form outside,” the firefighter told local TV station KRQE. “I saw a kid walking from the back of a vehicle and he loaded a gun. We heard gunshots go off. She ran back in the store in front of me and my first instinct was just to cover her.

“At work we are always watching out for one another and one of our main duties is to preserve life and property. So I take that seriously.”

Two separate clips of the incident shared online have racked up more than 40,000 combined views in a matter of days since they were first shared.

Officers in Espanola, a small city around 70 miles from Albuquerque, have now reportedly arrested two men in connection with the shooting, which took place in June.