It was around 10 a.m. on January 24, and Kezia Pereira was just going into a break in her online public health class when she heard a gunshot.

The 24-year-old Bachelor of Science in Nursing student quickly went from her back bedroom to the front of her family’s Revere home, where she saw a man across the street on the sidewalk lying face down, screaming in agony. She immediately threw on a jacket, stepped into shoes, grabbed some towels, and ran across Thornton Street.

“I wanted to get to the person as soon as I could because he was in so much pain,” said Pereira, noting that she didn’t even have time to consider whether she was putting herself in danger. “My priority was trying to save the person’s life.” 

Although she had not had a clinical rotation in emergency or trauma care or been in a situation in which she had to treat a severe injury, Pereira used the knowledge and skills she has learned since beginning the BSN program last May. She turned the man over on his back, finding the wound in his lower left abdomen. While applying pressure with a towel, she felt his pulse and checked his heart rate while telling him to hold on.

“I knew the paramedics would want to know the situation,” she said, noting the man’s breathing went from rapid to shallow in a matter of minutes. “I saw right away the man was severely injured so I tried to do the best I could under the circumstances.”

After the police arrived, they cut the man’s clothing so she could better put pressure on the gunshot wound until the paramedics arrived to take over.

The 31-year-old victim was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Andre Tripp, 33, was charged with murder and possession of a firearm without a license.

Pereira said the entire incident took less than 15 minutes. She returned to her home and texted her classmates who already had begun discussing an assignment in a virtual breakout session. “I didn’t want them to think I wasn’t paying attention,” she said, “but once they heard what had happened, they all were very supportive and thanked me for being a Good Samaritan and that they had my back.”

Dr. Kathy Sabo, who was teaching the class and is Pereira’s academic advisor, said she didn’t know of Pereira’s actions until the student sent her an email after the class ended. “It was amazing what she did, applying what she has learned at the IHP,” said Sabo. “Her selfless and brave act exemplifies what it means to be a nurse.”

“Kezia’s actions are a shining example of compassionate care that we instill in our nursing students,” said Dr. Kenneth R. White, dean of the School of Nursing. “She reacted instinctively by rushing out to assess the situation and help the person until paramedics arrived. We couldn’t be more proud of her heroic actions.”

For Pereira, she is saddened she could not save the victim but sees it as a valuable experience. “I certainly didn’t wake up thinking I would be trying to save someone’s life, especially a person not in a hospital,” said the Revere native, who lives with her parents and brother, “but I’m learning to become a nurse, and this is just one part of what nurses do.”