ICYMI: Pulse Shooting Victim Takes 1st Steps After Attack (VIDEO)

ORLANDO, FL — Angel Colon captured America’s attention and tugged at heartstrings across the globe when he shared his harrowing story of survival. Gunned down during the June attack on Orlando’s Pulse nightclub, Colon spoke from a wheelchair earlier this summer as he described the terror that unfolded early that Sunday morning.

At the time, it was unclear just how soon the 26-year-old would manage to leave the wheelchair behind. Colon, who was shot five times in the massacre that left 49 victims dead, answered that question late last week. Just two months after the June 12 shooting, Colon posted a video of himself on Facebook as he took his first steps.

“Took my first steps all by myself,” Colon wrote. “So happy!”

Colon, a Zumba fitness instructor, was thrust into the national spotlight on June 14 when he recounted events that occurred inside the Pulse Orlando Night Club & Ultra Bar, a popular gay bar in Orlando. The bar became the site of the worst mass shooting in modern American history when Omar Mateen, 29, opened fire on a near-capacity crowd, killing 49 people and wounding 53 others before he, too, was shot and killed.

See also: Orlando Shooting Victims Arrived In 'Truckloads,' Doctor Says

“He shoots the girl next to me,” Colon explained during a press conference at Orlando Regional Medical Center two days after the tragedy. “I’m thinking, ‘I’m next, I’m dead.’”

Mateen fired toward Colon’s head but struck his hand instead. He tried again but hit his hip. Colon was also struck several times in the leg.

As Colon continued to hear shots all around him, he remained very still, hoping to avoid capturing Mateen's attention again. That’s when a police officer — whose face and name Colon could not remember — came and pulled him to safety.

See also: Pulse Survivor Meets Cop Who Saved Him

Colon’s search for the police officer ended successfully when Eatonville Police Officer Omar Delagado met with him at the hospital a few days later.

“I need a big hug from you,” Delgado said to Colon after explaining he was one of the officers who saved him. “I’m glad you’re doing good, man.”

Mateen’s rampage at Pulse has been classified as an act of terror by the federal government. Authorities say he pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in a 911 call placed that Sunday morning.

YouTube screenshots of Angel Colon