"You could just tell it was a high caliber," Yousuf told CBS News. That's when his Marine Corps training kicked in. He stood in the back hallway that was already "sardine-packed" by people, when he realized that a locked door at the back of the corridor was the only way out.
"I'm screaming 'Open the door! Open the door!' And no one is moving because they are scared," Yousuf said. "There was only one choice — either we all stay there and we all die, or I could take the chance, and I jumped over to open that latch and we got everyone that we can out of there."
Risking his life, Yousuf saved about 70 people, who managed to get out through the unlocked door.
While he appreciates the support he has received, Yousuf stressed that people should focus on the victims' families, not him, he wrote.
"We need to show our love and profound efforts to the families and friends who have lost someone and help them cope with what happened and turn our efforts to those who truly need it," he wrote. "Once again I sincerely thank everyone and bless all those who are recovering and trying to make sense of it all."
The nightclub shooting occurred in the gay nightclub Pulse in Orlando, Florida. The shooter, Omar Mateen, claimed the lives of 49 victims and injured 53 before he was also killed. It was the deadliest mass shooting by a single gunman in US history and the deadliest terrorist attack in the US since 9/11.
