‘A real hero’: Man threw himself in front of racist ‘nut job’ to save children during California shooting

A GoFundMe has been set for the victim of a double shooting that took place in Lakehead, California, ABC7 reports.

According to Robert Endy, an acquaintance of the victim speaking to ABC7, Travis Barber took his family to go fishing when the suspect approached their car as they were packing up to leave.

"Travis and his friend were shot for no reason by some nut job who is now in custody. Its important that you know Travis fought to save those around him," the GoFundMe page states.

Endy said that the suspect walked up to a car, "and apparently the car had a kid in the back of it and it looked like he was trying to steal the car." The suspect then started shouting racial slurs against African Americans to Barber's friend, Endy said.

The assailant said a couple of things to him and ended up shooting him. "Travis picked up a rock, from what I hear from his daughter this morning, he threw the rock and hit the guy in the head with it," Endy said.

According to Endy, the suspect continued shouting racial slurs while shooting Barber's friend, and then pointed the gun at the car with the children inside. Barber then stepped in front of the gun and was shot in the leg.

"It was a pretty dramatic story, but this man's a real hero," Endy said. "He did what he had to do to save his friends and his family."

The suspect, Silas Matthew Hesselberg, was detained at gunpoint by another man nearby until police arrived.

Authorities are investigating the shooting as a hate crime.