B.C. man among those shot dead at concert
23-year-old from Maple Ridge was one of at least 59 killed in attack
On the morning after nearly 600 people were killed or injured in Las Vegas in the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, two grandmothers met at the front gate of a rural Maple Ridge home, embraced, and cried.
The matriarchs’ grandson, Jordan McIldoon, 23, was one of dozens killed in the shooting, and one of at least two victims from B.C.
“He was only going to be 24 in a few days,” one grandmother said through sobs. “His light snuffed out like that, along with another 58 people.”
McIldoon was at Sunday’s Route 91 Harvest country music festival with his girlfriend Amber Bereza when a shooter opened fire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel across the street.
Shortly after the shooting, Heather Gooze, a Las Vegas local, posted on Facebook from just outside the festival grounds.
“I am OK … I am with a young man who died in my arms,” Gooze wrote. “RIP Jordan mcildoon (sic) from British Columbia. I can’t believe this just happened!”
McIldoon was a month shy of completing a course to qualify as a heavy-duty mechanic. He worked at Jacob Brothers Construction, where employees were left stunned by the news Monday.
The front door at the company’s Surrey office was locked. A receptionist who came to the door said nobody was available to speak. Her eyes were red and she appeared to have been crying.
On Monday, Bereza’s brother Cole called McIldoon a hero and said he had saved Amber’s life.
“I can’t ever thank you enough. I know you will always be looking down and watching over her to protect her just the same as you did when you (were) by her side,” Cole wrote on Facebook. “I love you man … words can’t explain the loss we all feel now that you are gone.”
By the time Cole had written those words, Al and Angela McIldoon had landed in Las Vegas to retrieve the body of their only son.
Meanwhile, former CTV Vancouver Island news anchor Hudson Mack and his wife Patty were en route to join their son Sheldon, who was shot twice during the attack and who had emergency surgery overnight.
While his parents were in flight, Sheldon tweeted his status from a hospital bed in the intensive care unit.
“Sustained two gunshot wounds, a ruptured colon and a broken forearm,” he wrote.
“So much evil in this world, thanking God for watching over me.”
In another tweet, he thanked those who helped him and sent prayers to those he couldn’t help.
Hudson said it was a relief to see Sheldon’s tweets after the plane had landed.
“He helped others last night while the shooting was happening,” Hudson wrote on Facebook. “His friends Liam and Cole helped him and others, and someone saved his life, dragging him to safety and getting him to an ambulance. Whoever you are, thank you.”
Sheldon, a former football player for the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds and the Westshore Rebels of the Canadian Junior Football League, was in Las Vegas to celebrate his 21st birthday.
“The prognosis is good. Sheldon is strong,” Hudson wrote. “And as we pull together as a family and thank God he’s going to be OK, our hearts break for the families of the people who were killed and the many others who were wounded. Please keep them in your hearts.”
B.C. Green Leader Andrew Weaver is a longtime acquaintance of the Mack family. His daughter Maria went to elementary school with Sheldon.
“I was shocked … just shocked. It shows that in the world we live in, it can happen to anybody,” Weaver said.
“This one was just a real blow.” Judy Fainstein is a director of operations for Weaver and a family friend of the Macks.
“Sheldon we’ve known since he was a little boy, and our kids grew up together,” she said. “He’s just a good human being.”
Sheldon is a country music fan but Fainstein said she did not know if he specifically went to Las Vegas to attend the festival. She said she wouldn’t be eager to make vacation plans for Las Vegas, but if her children wanted to go, “I would say, be safe. That’s all we can do. There’s no escaping from the actions of some very deranged people.
“I’ve been (to Las Vegas) a number of times in my life,” she added. “This can happen anywhere. It’s happening even in church.”
B.C. Premier John Horgan called the attack horrifying and incomprehensible.
“Jordan McIldoon of Maple Ridge was among those who lost their lives,” Horgan said.
“He was 23 years old. The flags at the parliament buildings in Victoria and provincial government buildings in Maple Ridge will be dropped to half-mast to honour him.”
Mitchell Brown, a friend of McIldoon’s, sparked a Go Fund Me campaign to raise money for the McIldoon family so “they may mourn the death of their only son without the burden of bills or costs,” the campaign page says.
Stephanie Park, a wheelchair athlete from Maple Ridge, attended the concert with her mother and posted on Facebook that both escaped unscathed.
Victoria police Chief Del Manak was with his family at the Mandalay resort when the shooting occurred. He and his family were not injured, according to a statement on the Victoria police Twitter account.
“The professionalism and courage of (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department) officers in the face of danger saved lives,” Manak said via Twitter. “I take comfort knowing the women and men who serve in law enforcement are trained and ready to respond when the worst occurs.”
His friends Liam and Cole helped him and others, and someone saved his life, dragging him to safety and getting him to an ambulance. Whoever you are, thank you.