Alberta woman and B.C. man among those confirmed killed.
STORIES OF THE VICTIMS, INCLUDING TWO CANADIANS, BEGIN TO EMERGE
Aregistered nurse from Tennessee who died shielding his wife, a doctor, from gunfire; the only son of a Canadian couple; an off-duty cop; a popular secretary at a New Mexico High School — all are among at least 59 people killed in the Las Vegas mass shooting.
Two Canadians have been confirmed killed and others injured.
“The identification process of all of the injured and the deceased will take time, so authorities are asking the public for patience,” the Las Vegas police said.
Here are some of the dead who have been identified:
Jordan McIldoon, 23, mechanic’s apprentice of Maple Ridge, B.C. “We only had one child,” Al and Angela McIldoon, told CBC. “We just don’t know what to do.” The couple said their son was attending the music festival with his girlfriend and said he grew up on the family acreage as a “self-described cowboy boot, tattoo-covered redneck who loved the outdoors.” McIldoon was a heavy-duty mechanic apprentice about to start trade school in the Okanagan. B.C. Premier John Horgan offered condolences and said flags would be dropped to half-mast on the province’s Parliament buildings and on government buildings in Maple Ridge.
Jessica Klymchuk, a Catholic school employee and mother of four from Valleyview, north of Edmonton. She was in Vegas with her fiancée. She worked as a librarian and bus driver. “Our hearts are all broken,” Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson said in a tweet. “We will rally for Jessica’s children and family.” Alberta Premier Rachel Notley also expressed sympathy for the loss. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau denounced the “senseless and cowardly act of violence.”
Adrian Murfitt, 35, commercial fisherman from Anchorage, Alaska. Murfitt died in the arms of his buddy. The two men were in front of the stage when the shooting started but, like many concertgoers, thought it was fireworks. “We were taking a picture and it went through his neck … There’s a lot of amazing people — there was nurses, doctors, firemen. Everybody who was at that concert really jumped on it, did everything they could. We just couldn’t save him,” Brian MacKinnon told the Alaska Dispatch News. “Sadly, he died in my arms.” A bullet hit the brim of MacKinnon’s hat, knocking it off his head.
Sonny Melton, 29, a registered nurse, died in the shooting, according to The Henry County Medical Center in Paris, Tennessee, where he worked. His wife, Dr. Heather Melton, an orthopedic surgeon who was with him when shots were fired, survived, the medical centre said. Heather Melton told WZTV in Nashville, Tennessee, that her husband “saved my life and lost his.” She says her husband was the most kind-hearted, loving man she ever met. Friend Jeremy Butler said Melton was shielding his wife from gunfire when he was fatally shot.
Charleston Hartfield, 34, a Las Vegas police officer. He was off duty when killed, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Hartfield was a military veteran known as Charles or Chucky who also coached youth football, friends said. “I don’t know a better man than Charles. They say it’s always the good ones we lose early. There’s no truer statement than that with Charles … Our hearts have just been very heavy since hearing the news,” his friend Troy Rhett told the paper.
Rachel Parker, 33, a police records technician. She was shot and died later in hospital, the Manhattan Beach Police Department said. Parker was among four department employees attending the Route 91 Harvest Festival while offduty. Another suffered minor injuries.
Lisa Romero, a discipline secretary at a high school in New Mexico. She worked at Miyamura High School in Gallup, and was a “happygo-lucky person,” her cousin Ashley told the Huffington Post. “She loved her kids and husband. And for this to happen so senselessly. It’s a heartbreaking day for us all,” she said. Her cousin, Paul Romero, had not seen Lisa in a couple years, but they grew up together. “She was a very down-to-earth person, she was a very sweet person,” he said.
Sandy Casey, 35, a special education teacher in Redondo Beach, California. Later this month, she and boyfriend Christopher Willemse planned to tour the final venue on their list while planning their wedding. After seven years as colleagues at Manhattan Beach Middle School, three years as a couple and five months engaged, Willemse held Casey as she died from a gunshot to her lower back. The couple bonded over their love of country music and were in front of the stage when the shooting began. Casey said she had been hit and couldn’t feel her legs. Willemse stuck his finger in the hole to stop the bleeding, then carried her out, dodging the gunfire. When she stopped responding, he told her he loved her and she was amazing. “She was just a kind soul and she was full of life and loved to live it,” Willemse said.
Quinton Robbins, 20, recreational assistant at the city of Henderson, Nevada. His aunt Kilee Wells Sanders said on Facebook, “He was 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. So many awesome talents.”
Susan Smith, 53, school office manager. For most students and visitors to Vista Fundamental Elementary School in Simi Valley, Smith was the first person they would see. “She was the hub of the school. She was the centre of it. Everyone who came through those doors she knew. She knew the children, she knew the staff, she knew the parents,” said Jake Finch, a spokeswoman for the school district. She was married with children, but Finch did not have details about the family.
Neysa Tonks worked at Technologent, a technology company, and was the mother of three boys, according to the Los Angeles Times. A GoFundMe page to raise money for her sons says she “brought joy, happiness, fun and laughter to so many of us … She has always been there for her community in time of need, and now we would like to do the same for her.” She lived in Las Vegas.