Michigan Mom Has One Mission After Mall Shooting: Find the Two Heroes Who Helped Her Kids

A Michigan mom is searching for two strangers whose selfless actions helped her young daughters to safety during the chaos that unfolded at Great Lakes Crossing in Auburn Hills on Saturday, July 11. She hopes finding them will give her family the chance to offer a heartfelt thank you.

Ashley Hilliard was giving her daughters - 6-year-old Paisleigh and 4-year-old Blakeleigh - a 'Princess Day' at the mall, getting their hair and nails done at the salon before going out to dinner. The outing included three other family members, including Hillard's 3-year-old goddaughter.

The family's celebration came to an abrupt end when gunfire erupted in the mall's food court, leaving one man dead.

A Michigan Mom's Search for Two Heroes

“Then as I looked up, I just see a wave of people running towards the restaurant,” Hilliard said. “Be quiet, there’s a shooter.”

Hillard tells Detroit's WDIV-TV that she tripped and fell trying to escape the chaos. As she was being trampled, she lost track of her daughters.

Strangers Step In During Great Lakes Crossing Chaos

“I remember hearing someone say, ‘It’s okay, I have her,’ as they picked up my 6-year-old daughter and helped get her safely out,” she said. “As I was moving forward with the little one, some other guy picked her up and said, I have her and then we were able to get out. My legs felt like cement.”

Hillard's daughter says she was assisted by an African American woman with her hair pulled up into a bun.

"There's Still Good in This World"

“They’re so selfless, and they were willing to risk their own lives for my children that they didn’t even know,” Hilliard later told the TV station. “There’s still good in this world. There’s still good people. And I’m sure they didn’t even think twice about stopping to help.”