Beloved High School Teacher Dies Saving Pregnant Waitress From Stabbing
George Heath and his wife were eating dinner when a crazed attacker entered the restaurant.
A beloved high school vocational teacher was killed Tuesday while trying to save the life of a pregnant waitress during a shopping mall stabbing rampage in Massachusetts.
Sheena Savoy, 26, who was six weeks pregnant, was waiting tables at Bertuccis in the Silver City Galleria Mall when suspect Arthur DaRosa, 28, allegedly dashed in and randomly stabbed her.
A witness said Savoy began to clutch her stomach and scream, prompting 56-year-old high school George Heath and his wife Rosemary — who were eating at the restaurant — to come to her aid.
"I grabbed the back of his shirt. My husband was struggling with him to get the knife away," Rosemary Heath told WCVB. "He pulled his arm back and stabbed my husband in the head."
Read: Two Dead Including Grandmother, 80, In Stabbing Spree That Ended at Shopping Mall
Heath died from his wounds. Savoy, however, was rushed to the hospital in serious condition.
“My sweet, caring, adorable, funny, love of my life was stabbed at the Taunton mall last night,” Mrs. Heath wrote in a touching Facebook message. “His wound was too extensive and he died. He LOVED his job, his STUDENTS, his LIFELONG friends and his FAMILY. I don’t want to discuss guns or mental health issues. I want to focus on my husband and the great life we shared together. He made me laugh SO much.”
Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn has also since praised Heath's courage.
“His actions of heroism should not be forgotten,” Quinn said during a press conference on Wednesday.
“Mr. Heath was a tremendous educator with a great passion for teaching; he was influential in sparking creativity and a love of learning in all of his students,” Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School Superintendent-Director James O’Brien said in a statement.
Read: Accused Killer Seen Dragging Random Victim's Body in Horrifying Surveillance Footage: Cops
The horror began in Taunton, Massachusetts when DaRosa crashed his car outside a home then forced his way inside a nearby house
In the home, police believe DaRosa found a knife and attacked a mother and daughter, killing the 80-year-old mother as she ate dinner.
The daughter is reportedly being treated at an area hospital, where she remains.
DaRosa allegedly then stole a black car and drove three miles to the mall and crashed through the door of the Macy's, where police say he injured, but did not stab, multiple people.
During the incident in the Bertucci's, an off-duty police officer shot and killed DaRosa.
DaRosa's family have since expressed their condolences to the family of victims while also portraying DaRosa as a longtime sufferer of mental illness.
Watch: EMT Proposes to a Woman He Rescued After Being Stabbed 32 Times