A 20-year-old intern is being hailed as a hero for his actions following Saturday's brutal shooting in Arizona.

Daniel Hernandez had been an intern for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords for just five days when a gunman opened fire in Tucson, killing six and putting the Arizona congresswoman in critical condition, AZCentral reports.

According to AZCentral, the University of Arizona junior says he ran towards the gunshots as soon as he heard them. "I don't even know if the gunfire had stopped," he says.

Hernandez tells ABC News that he rushed to a badly wounded Giffords to help stop her bleeding. "I had to lift up the congresswoman because she was severely injured, and I wanted to make sure that she was able to breathe okay because there was so much blood."

Hernandez adds that Giffords was "alert" and "able to hold my hand when I asked her if she could hear me." While the 20-year-old says that the congresswoman was responsive, he "wasn't able to get any words from her."

"'If you can hear me Gabby just grab my hand to let me know that you're okay,'" he says he told Giffords. "It was probably not the best idea to run toward the gunshots, but people needed help."

WATCH (interview begins at 5:10 mark): (interview begins at 5:10 mark):