MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Gwendolyn Whitfield is haunted by what happened inside her Broward County Transit bus when gunfire erupted onboard last month.
“I want to be normal again, I want to get back to the normal,” says Whitfield. “From the first boom I knew right away, you could just feel the evil.”
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Four passengers were shot, two of them died.
“That’s something you can’t change someone’s loved one that’s been taken away from them for absolutely nothing,” says Whitfield.
Whitfield was hailed a hero for saving lives after bringing her bus to the nearby Fort Lauderdale Police Department during the shooting.
The bus was seen surveillance video as it barreled into oncoming traffic on Broward Blvd. to get there.
“God led us to a safe place and by the grace of God there was an armed policeman there,” says Whitfield.
Whitfield’s bravery didn’t go unnoticed.
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On Tuesday, she received the medal of valor for her heroic actions.
Whitfield has been a driver with BCT for nearly a decade, and she’s more than just a bus driver – she’s a wife, mother and grandmother.
“She’s an amazing person and I’m really proud of her,” says Elijah Irving, grandson. “She’s really brave.”
Whitfield loves people – it fuels her passion as a bus driver, but now behind her infectious smile and laugh is pain.
“I hope that I can heal and not just physically, but mentally, and spiritually,” says Whitfield.
It’s a long road ahead, and she’s looking to God to heal her heart.
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“I believe that you reap what you sow, I believe if you sow goodness and kindness compassion that’s what you reap, but I’ve learned now that sometimes that isn’t always the case,” says Whitfield.
