On the afternoon of May 6, Gicela Aleman drove to the Allen Premium Outlets.
“I dropped by there to buy some tennis shoes for my daughter,” said Aleman.
Aleman missed her exit, so she took the next. At the time, it was a minor inconvenience. Two months later, Aleman said it’s a misstep that propelled her, along with her 7-year-old daughter, on a path to help.
Body camera footage released in the wake of the shooting shows that mere moments before Aleman pulled into the mall’s parking lot at 3:40 p.m., Allen Police took down a gunman who sent shoppers ducking for cover.
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
“I saw police running at the end of the mall. I was thinking, 'What was that? Why are they running?' But then, I saw the lady in the floor and that distracted me,” she said.
She remembers offering the woman water before she realized she'd been shot in the back.
“You could tell that she was in pain and that she was afraid, but she was calm,” said Aleman.
Together, Aleman and a nurse did what they could to stabilize the woman, using a yoga mat to transfer her to Aleman's truck.
It wasn't until she pulled off to head to the emergency room that Aleman saw the crime scene where she'd later learn eight people were killed.
“That's when it hit me,” she said.
Today on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Colin Allred (D-TX, 32nd District) recognized Aleman for her efforts.
“Today, I rise to talk about the bravery and service of Gicela Aleman,” he said.
Allred shared that the woman she saved, Preeti Patel, was at the mall that day while visiting North Texas with her family.
"Preeti is alive today because of Gicela, an amazing story that deserves a hero's praise,” Allred said.
Aleman said she was reunited with Patel on Mother’s Day. And after weeks of recovering in North Texas, she’s back home in India.
The two have remained in touch, connected by a bond Aleman can’t help but credit with divine timing.
“I know things are perfect, even when we don’t understand why things happened,” she said. “I saw a lot of humanity. I saw a lot of people running to help and I know there were more going that way than the other. There are more of the good people, kind people, who want to help and make a difference.”
