Texas Church Shooting Survivor, 6, Chauffeured Home In Firetruck

SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, TX — Ryland Ward, 6, came home from the hospital Thursday, sitting in the cab of a shiny red fire truck driven by Rusty Duncan, the first responder who pulled him from beneath his dead stepmother, who had shielded him from the gunman on what turned out to be an unholy Sunday at the Sutherland Springs Baptist Church last fall.

Ryland was the last of the hospitalized victims to be released, and one of the youngest of 20 people injured in what has been described as the deadliest church shooting in modern U.S. history and the worst mass shooting in Texas history.

Other first responders on the scene of the horrific mass shooting served as escorts. So did multiple other law enforcement officers, first responders and ordinary citizens moved by the tragedy. People poured from their homes and businesses and onto the streets of the quiet, close-knit area that saw its innocence shattered on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017. And as sirens blasted, the brave young survivor with a fighting spirit looked out the window of Stockdale Fire Engine Two to see throngs of cheering residents hoisting signs with messages like “Welcome home handsome” and “Yay buddy.”

Ryland is doing pretty well, considering the five gunshot wounds he suffered and the trauma of the day and months since. His stepmother, Joann Lookingbill Ward, and sisters Brooke Bryanne Ward, 5, and Emily Garcia, 7, died. They were among 26 people killed by the gunman, who shot crying babies in the face as he walked from pew to pew indiscriminately picking off victims. Many, like Ryland, were only children.

The boy still drags his left foot and has limited use of his hip, his grandmother, Sandy Ward, told ABC News.

"It's just a miracle he survived and is doing as well as he is," she said "We're just excited to get him to come home."

University Health System posted news of Ryland’s discharge from the hospital on its website

"Ryland and his family are happy to be going home. Many of us at University Health System who have been touched by the strength and spirit of Ryland and the other Sutherland Springs patients celebrate this milestone with them and their families."

The bond is unbreakable between Ryland and Duncan, the assistant fire chief in nearby Stockdale who felt the boy tugging at his leg as he checked victims for pulses in the horrific aftermath of the shooting. Duncan made it a point to visit Ryland on Sundays during his more than two-month stay at a San Antonio’s University Hospital, where he underwent multiple surgeries.

The trauma weighs heavy on Duncan, too. Ryland was the first victim he pulled from the grisly seen that day. He remembers it as clearly as if it just happened.

"Ryland's hand reached out from under his stepmom and grabbed my pant leg," Duncan told ABC. "I rolled her over and grabbed him and started running outside with him.

"As soon as we got him outside, his dad [Chris Ward] ran up to me and said, 'They killed my baby.' And I told his dad, 'No, he's not dead, he's still alive,' " Duncan said.

During the visits, the little boy crawled right into the first responder's heart.

"He's a character," Duncan told ABC. "This little boy has the best fighting spirit I've ever seen out of anybody in my entire life. He's kept me going this whole time. Even when I was giving up ... just thinking about him and being around him makes me smile."

As their friendship grew, Duncan made a promise to Ryland.

"I will give you a ride as soon as the doctors says it is OK," Duncan told KENS-TV. "Well, the doctor says it is OK and I am going to keep my promise to him and I am going to take him home in the fire truck."

He made sure Ryland got a big welcome home, posting on his Facebook page of the plans.

"Everything from San Antonio PD to fire, to Bexar County, to fire EMS in the area that all want to be involved," Duncan said. "It is not just them, but tow-truck companies and 18-wheeler guys. Everyone wants to be involved in this. So, this little boy has a lot of prayer from a lot of different people, and I hope he hears it."

Without doubt, he saw it as the motorcade rolled into town.

Main photo: Ryland Ward, who was shot during a Nov. 5 church shooting, looks out the passenger window as he passes a memorial of crosses as he returns home after his release from the hospital while riding in the cab of a firetruck, Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018, in Sutherland Springs, Texas. Ryland, 6, was shot several times and was the last victim still hospitalized following the church massacre in south Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)