Boulder shooting: Who is Logan Smith? Hero barista hid elderly coworker under trash cans during rampage
BOULDER, COLORADO — A 20-year-old Starbucks barista who worked inside the Boulder supermarket where 10 people lost their lives in a deadly shooting is being hailed as a hero for protecting his 69-year-old coworker by hiding her underneath a pile of trash cans when the gunman entered the store.
Logan Smith had no time to think as gunman Ahmad Alissa, 21, stood just a few feet away from him. But he used his presence of mind to hide his co-worker, keeping her safe, in a split-second decision during the horrifying ordeal, Fox 31 reported.
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“When I ran outside, I, unfortunately, did see the gunman shoot a customer who was approaching the building in the back. The customer fell to the ground,” Smith told the outlet.
The barista immediately called 911 and rushed to protect his elderly coworker behind the store's Starbucks counter, per the report.
“I knew since she is my elder, as she is older than me, I must protect her over myself and so instinctively I pushed her into a corner, covered her with trash cans and then tried to find a place for myself,” Smith said.
The 20-year-old worker said it was a challenge for him to find a place to hide due to his six-foot-plus frame. “My last resort was a trash can that my head was visible outside of so I wasn’t in the safest situation,” he said.
Smith recalled hearing the gunman approach the coffee counter, describing the moment as the “longest 20 minutes of my life.” He said the gunman quietly made his way through the store and “not a single word was said from him, from what I could hear, until police arrived, they shouted at him gunshots were fired it was just silence and the store music.”
Smith, who is a member of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, said he considered his actions to be part of his job. “As a grocery store employee, we signed the paper when we got the job the customers are first and I’ll put my life underneath their lives. If anyone was going to die, it was me before my customers, before my coworkers,” he explained.
Smith said he appreciated those who called him a hero, but he didn't consider himself to be one. “I don’t consider myself a hero. I believe our police department, I believe the officer that was shot at the entrance, he is the biggest hero of it all,” he said.
The young barista now hopes the community will come together to support the aggrieved families. “I am with you and (with) thoughts and prayers,” Smith said.
In light of the tragedy, the Union for Colorado Grocery Workers issued a statement saying “every day of this pandemic, grocery workers have been bravely putting their health at risk on the frontlines of Covid-19 to keep our families fed. This shooting is a tragic reminder that the pandemic is not the only threat our communities face.”
“The union condemns the senseless violence, calls for investigation and action to prevent future tragedies endangering essential workers already on frontlines of Covid," the statement added.