J'Nay Bailey, 11-Year-Old Alabama Girl, Heroically Shields Younger Students From Gunfire

An 11-year-old in Huntsville, Alabama, is getting some well-deserved praise after she shielded younger students from gunfire and got them home safely.

J'Nay Bailey, a fifth-grader at Montview Elementary, was walking home from school last week with two girls, one in kindergarden and the other in the first grade, when shots rang out, FOX54 reports.

Bailey instinctively sprung into action and brought the girls to the ground, shielding them with her coat and body.

AL.com reports that the incident was one of five shootings in north Huntsville that occurred at the same time. Police said that almost two dozen shots were fired near Bailey and her friends, fortunately only hitting two cars and a house, WHNT19 reports.

Bailey credits her school for teaching her what to do in an emergency. She was recognized for her bravery at a Huntsville school board meeting on Thursday.

Bailey told America's News HQ host, "All I did was grab the girl in front of me and grab the girl beside me and I put them together, grabbed my coat out of my book bag and put it over them, and put my body over them too, until I knew it was safe."