Las Vegas shooting: First victims of country music concert massacre identified
A MAN gunned down before his boyfriend’s eyes and a woman who died in her husband’s arms were among the victims of the Las Vegas shooting.
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THESE are the faces of the innocent victims slaughtered in the worst massacre in modern US history.
A hero nurse who protected his wife, a man who died before his boyfriend’s eyes and a woman who died in her husband’s arms were among at least 60 people killed during a gig in Las Vegas.
But as police race to figure out gunman Stephen Paddock’s motive, the families of victims have been left to grapple with the horror.
CAMERON ROBINSON, 28
Devastated relatives have paid tribute to Vegas massacre victim Cameron Robinson, describing the City of Las Vegas employee as “life-loving” and his death as “great loss of a great man”.
The legal worker, who lived in Utah but commuted to Vegas each day for work, was attending the Route 91 Harvest country music festival with his partner, Bobby Eardley, when he was shot in the neck. He died at the scene. Mr Eardley, a father of three, was injured by flying shrapnel as he tried to flee the carnage.
“He’s with his children right now, in solitude,” his mother Joyce Eardley told the Daily News Tuesday. “He’s home, which we feel is a tender mercy.”
STACEE ETCHEBER
The San Francisco Police Officers Association has confirmed that Stacee Etcheber was killed in the attack.
Ms Etcheber was at the concert with her husband, Vinnie Etcheber, a San Francisco police officer, who was off duty.
When the shooting began, Vinnie Etcheber told his wife to run as he began to give aid to those wounded. “With heavy hearts, we’ve learned that Stacee Etcheber has passed away. Stacee was a wonderful, caring wife, mother, and daughter. She will be terribly missed,” SFPOA President Martin Halloran said in a statement.
CARRIE BARNETTE, 34
Disney is in mourning after learning that one of their long-serving employees was among the victims, while another is in hospital with serious injuries.
Carrie Barnette, 34, an employee at Disneyland, Anaheim, was said to have been close to the stage when the shooting broke out, according to Deadline.com.
Walt Disney Company chairman and CEO Robert Iger said in a statement: “Our hearts go out to everyone impacted by the tragic events in Las Vegas — the victims of violence, the witnesses, and the friends and families mourning loved ones.
“We are especially heartbroken over the loss of one of our own to this unconscionable and senseless act. Carrie Barnette had been a member of the Disney California Adventure culinary team for ten years and was beloved by her friends and colleagues. Our thoughts are with her family, along with our support, during this incredibly difficult time.” Mr Iger also posted a message on Twitter.
Another Disney cast member, Jessica Milam, was injured in the attack and is currently recovering in hospital.
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A senseless, horrific, act, and a terrible loss for so many. We mourn a wonderful member of the Disney family: Carrie Barnette. Tragic.
— Robert Iger (@RobertIger) October 3, 2017
ANGELA ‘ANGIE’ GOMEZ
Angela Gomez, a 2015 graduate from Riverside Polytechnic High School in California has been identified as another of the victims. Her former school posted a message on its Facebook page informing the school community that Gomez had lost her life in the shooting.
“It is with heavy hearts that we inform you that one of the victims of the Las Vegas shooting tragedy was a 2015 graduate of Riverside Poly High School,” the message read.
Gomez, who had been a member of the school’s cheerleading team and choir was described as “a fun-loving young lady with a great sense of humour”.
Her former English teacher set up a Go Fund Me page to help Gomez’s family pay for funeral expenses.
JORDAN McILDOON, 23
Meanwhile, a woman has told of how a young man died in her arms during the Las Vegas shooting.
Jordan McIldoon, 23, of Maple Ridge in British Columbia, Canada, was attending the festival with his girlfriend Amber Bereza, his parents told CBC.
They said he was a heavy-duty mechanic apprentice and about to start trade school.
“We only had one child,” they said. “We just don’t know what to do.”
According to a Facebook post by Heather Gooze, a woman who was on the scene, McIldoon died in her arms.
“We were having a blast,” she told People. “But then all of a sudden there were people running through the bar and we couldn’t understand why.”
She heard shots, but at the time she thought they were just part of the show.
“Everyone was dancing and [Jason Aldean] kept on singing,” says Gooze, 43, of Las Vegas. “Then there were thousands of people running through trying to break the gate down behind my bar. They were literally climbing on top of each other.”
Instead of running for safety, Gooze stayed to try to help. She came across McIldoon.
“He told me to come over and asked me to hold this guy’s jacket, put my hand on the back of his head and hold as much pressure on it as possible,” she says.
“I could literally feel the bullet hole in the back of his head. There was blood everywhere.”
Amber was later found at the lockdown area at the Tropicana Hotel. Gooze had to tell her that McIldoon had died.
“Friends and family, I am OK. I am right outside of the festival grounds. We are not allowed to go anywhere. I am with a young man who died in my arms! RIP Jordan McIldoon from British Columbia. I can’t believe this just happened!!!” she wrote on Monday.
According to Gooze, she said, “No, that can’t be true.” She added, “He’s the love of my life.”
Gooze then made her a promise: She wouldn’t leave McIlldoon’s side until Amber showed up to be with him.
She also called McIldoon’s mother back, and made the same promise to her.
“I wouldn’t leave him or go anywhere until I could make sure that they knew where he was and what was going on,” she recalls. “I’m not a brave or courageous person but something inside of me just wouldn’t let me leave the venue.”
SONNY MELTON, 29
His story comes after a man who sacrificed himself to shield his wife from gunfire at the Harvest Music Festival is being hailed as a hero as more tributes pour in for the first victims of the Las Vegas mass shooting.
Tennessee man Sonny Melton, 29, was one of at least 58 people killed when 64-year-old Stephen Paddock opened fire on a crowd of 22,000 at the country music concert.
Melton was watching country music star Jason Aldean with his wife when Paddock fatally shot him in the back.
He had been trying to save her life at the time.
“At this point, I’m in complete disbelief and despair. I don’t know what to say. Sonny was the most kind-hearted, loving man I have ever met. He saved my life and lost his,” Heather Gulish Melton said in a statement to Fox 17 News.
Melton, a registered nurse from Tennessee, “checked in” to the concert on Facebook, with loved ones expressing their condolences under the post.
“He saved my life. He grabbed me and started running when I felt him get shot in the back,’ Mrs Gulish Melton, a surgeon, told WSMV.
“I want everyone to know what a kind-hearted, loving man he was, but at this point, I can barely breathe.”
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JENNY PARKS, 39
Mother-of-two and kindergarten teacher Jenny Parks of Lancaster in California was also killed in the attack.
She was described as “always full of life” and “spunky” by a family friend.
“I don’t know where to even start, I’m still just at a loss for words and feel like this is all a dream. Jenny Parks you were an amazing woman and very happy to have the chance to get to know you and be apart of our 2nd family. You were always full of smiles and just always full of life and spunky,” family friend Scott Jackson wrote on Facebook.
QUINTON ROBBINS, 20
Quinton Robbins, 20, from Nevada, also died on Sunday night, with his aunt describing him as “the most kind and loving soul”.
“Everyone who met him, loved him. His contagious laugh and smile. He was truly an amazing person. He will be missed by so many, he is loved by so many,” Kilee Wells Sanders said.
Robbins was a student at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, and worked as a recreational assistant at the City of Henderson.
“Quinton was a pay-it-forward kinda guy,” family friend Tyce Jones told Newsweek. “Always had a smile on his face and was a nice guy. He loved his family and loved to coach his little brother’s flag football team. He will be missed.”
SUSAN SMITH, 53
Susan Smith, 53, was a school office manager in Simi Valley, California. She has been described as “the heart of the school”, reports the Ventura County Star. The country music fan was attending the Route 91 Harvest festival when the shooting took place.
“She was wonderful. She had a great sense of humour. She’s patient and kind,” Jake Finch, a spokeswoman for the district said. “She’s the hub ... really the heart of the school.”
In a Facebook post, the school’s PTA wrote: “Our hearts are full of sorrow for the passing of Susan Smith. she was a wonderful woman, an advocate for our children, and a friend. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family.”
Smith was married with two adult children.
THOMAS DAY JR, 54
Thomas Day Jr, 54, was attending the festival with his four adult children, reports the LA Times. His father, Thomas Day Snr, described his son as the “best dad”. “That’s why his kids were with him,” he said.
His children, who survived the ordeal, are mourning their father. “His kids are with me right now. They’re crushed,” said Day Snr.
DANA GARDNER, 52
Dana Gardner, 52, a long-time public servant who had worked at the San Bernardino County for 26 years was also a victim of the shooting. She was with her three children at the time, one of whom was injured in the attack.
“I am so very sorry to report that one of the Assessor/Recorder employees in attendance at the event was shot twice and, tragically, passed away this morning,” said San Bernardino County Interim CEO Dena Smith, reports The San Bernardino Sun.
Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk Bob Dutton described Ms Gardner as a “dedicated” member of staff. “She had a lot of knowledge. She was a great employee,” he said.
JOHN PHIPPEN, 56
John Phippen, 56, who was reportedly shot in the back as the gunman unleashed on the crowd, has been described by neighbour and friend Leah Nagyivanyi as “an amazing, wonderful, selfless, sweet soul of [a] man”.
Nagyivanyi, who set up a Go Fund Me page for Phippen’s family, said he was a “man who loved his family and his friends as if they were family”.
Phippen’s son Travis was with him at the festival and carried him to a car that took them both to hospital, reports the Los Angeles Times.
“He was my best friend,” Travis said. “He never did anything wrong to anybody. He was always kind and gentle. He was the biggest teddy bear I knew.”
BAILEY SCHWEITZER, 20
Bailey Schweitzer, 20, from Bakersfield, California, has been remembered as “a ray of sunshine in our office on a cloudy day” by the CEO at Infinity Communications and Consulting where she was a receptionist.
“No one could possibly have a bad day when Bailey was around,” said Fred Brakeman. “If you have ever called or visited our office, she was the perky one that helped direct you to the staff member you needed.”
SANDY CASEY, 35
Sandy Casey, 35, was a special-education teacher who taught at Manhattan Beach Middle School in California. She had attended the music festival with her fiance Christopher Willemse.
Willemse posted a tribute to Facebook, saying: “As I sit and mourn such a beautiful life gone too fast, all I can say is look up and watch the birds fly high and free today as that’s where I feel you smiling down upon all of us,” he wrote. “I love you baby girl! Love you to pieces!”
Meanwhile, Mike Matthews, a superintendent for the school where Ms Casey worked told ABC7: “She’s absolutely loved by students and colleagues alike and will be remembered for her sense of humour, her passion for her work, her devotion to her students, her commitment to continue her own learning and taking on whatever new projects came her way,”
“She’s made a tremendous difference in the lives of our students and their families, many of whom worked with her over multiple years. Her loss will be deeply felt at MBMS and throughout the entire Manhattan Beach community.”
MELISSA RAMIREZ
Melissa Ramirez, a graduate of California State University at Bakersfield, was someone who was always positive and happy, her cousin told Buzzfeed. A relative posted on Twitter pleading for answers when Ramirez failed to get in touch.
My stepdad’s cousin is missing â€¼ï¸ Her name is Melissa Ramirez and is in her late 20s. Help us find her pleaseâ€¼ï¸ pic.twitter.com/CgtdGP6sSU
— gee â™Žï¸ (@Gee_TheTrillest) October 2, 2017
RACHAEL PARKER, 33
Rachael Parker, 33, had been a records technician with the Manhattan Beach Police Department for 10 years before she was fatally wounded during the shooting. According to CNN, she was one of four off-duty Manhattan Beach police staff members attending the concert. Another employee suffered minor injuries in the attack.
NEYSA TONKS, 45
Neysa Tonks, 45, was attending the Jason Aldean concert when she was struck down by a hail of bullets. The software saleswoman from Utah had moved to Las Vegas a decade ago, and had three boys.
Her brother AJ Yerage said his sister “was able to accomplish a lot of things”. He said he was happy that she had been part of his life. “I can hear her laugh, her voice in my head and my heart right now,” he told 2News. He said he was proud to be her brother.
Her employer, Technologent, has set up a Go Fund Me page to raise money for her family.
JENNIFER TOPAZ IRVINE
Jennifer Topaz Irvine was a San Diego-based family lawyer, who her colleague Thomas Slattery said was always “happy and energetic”. He shared her picture on Facebook, saying: “A tragic loss of a kind, generous, and beautiful lady. She will be greatly missed.”
CHRISTOPHER ROYBAL, 28
Christopher Roybal, 28, was a navy veteran who served in Afghanistan, reports Denver7. Roybal was in Vegas to celebrate his upcoming birthday, according to his girlfriend, Maree Elmore.
“He hadn’t gone down to the concert yet,” Ms Elmore said, talking about the last conversation had with him. “We just said ‘hi’ and ‘miss you’ and he had even expressed that he was done with Vegas, and that he was ready to come home.
“He had even joked that he was just going to change his flight so he could head home early, but he wanted to see Jake Owen. He was so excited to see Jake Owen.”
Royal was at the concert with his mother, Debby Allen. She managed to escape uninjured.
MICHAEL ANDERSON
Michael Anderson also tragically lost his life in the shooting. His girlfriend Bianca Acosta posted a tribute on Facebook saying, “He was everything a woman could want and need in a man”. The pair also have a baby together.
“He was our whole world. And now I simply don’t know how to go on without him. Our worlds have changed completely.”
HANNAH AHLERS, 34
Hannah Ahlers, 34, had three children, aged three, 11 and 14. The much-loved mum was among the victims. Her family described her as a devoted mum, telling the Review Journal: “She could have lit the world up with her smile.”
JESSICA KLYMCHUK
The 28-year-old, of Valleyview, Alberta, Canada, was a librarian and single mother of four children.
She was visiting Las Vegas with her fiance. “She’s a very good mother. She’s raised four beautiful children,” Klymchuk’s grandmother Margaret said.
Rachel Notley, premier of Alberta, wrote on Twitter: “Our hearts go out to the loved ones of Jessica Klymchuk, an Albertan who was killed in the Las Vegas attack.
“We are so sorry for your loss.”
ERICK SILVA
Erick Silva was also named among the victims.
RHONDA LeROCQUE
The devout Jehovah’s Wintess, of Tewksbury, Massachusetts, was a wife and mother and worked for a Cambridge design firm.
LeRocque attended the concert with her family. She was killed after her father-in-law took her six-year-old daughter home from the concert and she stayed on with minister husband Jason.
Her family were not injured.
LeRocque’s devastated family told a local news station she was as “close to perfection as you can get”.
“Rhonda would do everything to be the best mom and the best wife she could be,” LeRocque’s sister, Jennifer Zelenski, also told the Boston Globe.
CHARLESTON HARTFIELD, 34
Police officer Charleston Hartfield was off duty attending the gig when he was shot dead.
The youth football coach and military veteran was revealed as being among the victims when pal Troy Rhett tried to contact him to make sure he was safe.
“I figured he was probably busy helping others. I don’t know a better man than Charles. They say it’s always the good ones we lose early,” he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
DENISE SALMON BURDITUS, 50
Denise Salmon Burditus died in the arms of her husband Tony, according to heartbroken friends.
Just minutes before the shooting began she posted a photo on social media of themselves at the festival.
Her heartbroken friend Denise Chambers paid tribute online, writing: “In my heart forever and always. Prayers for Tony and the family.”
LISA ROMERO-MUNIZ
School secretary Lisa Romero-Muniz was named by grieving colleagues Miyamura High School in Gallup, New Mexico.
Her cousin told The Huffington Post that she was a “happy-go-lucky person”.
In her most recent role, Romero-Muniz offered encouragement and support to students during disciplinary proceedings. She was described as outgoing, kind and considerate.
ADRIAN MURFITT, 35
Alaskan Adrian Murfitt, from Anchorage, was described by friend Brian MacKinnon as “one of the happiest people” he knew, local news outlet KTUU reported.
JACK BEATON
Jack Beaton had travelled to the festival to celebrate his 23rd wedding anniversary.
But the night turned to tragedy when the shooting started, with the much-loved dad reportedly jumping in front of his wife Laurie to save her from the hail of bullets.
His son wrote a tribute on Twitter, saying his dad was a “true hero”.
KURT VON TILLOW, 55
Kurt Von Tillow was shot dead while at the festival on Sunday night.
The 55-year-old, from California, was with his wife at the time of the shooting, with family and friends already holding a vigil in his memory.
The family led a procession of golf carts from his local Country Club to his home.
GOVERNMENT INCREASES CONSULAR SUPPORT FOR AUSSIES
More than 500 people were injured in the deadliest mass shooting in US history.
The Turnbull Government has increased consular support for Australians in Los Angeles and Las Vegas to assist those caught up in the massacre.
Ms Bishop said she was “deeply shocked” and saddened by the incident.
Australia’s thoughts and sympathies were with the families of the victims and those who were injured, she said.
“At this stage the hospitals aren’t giving out information on nationality but we are methodically working through all the information we have with local authorities to ensure that all Australians can be accounted for,” Ms Bishop said.
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