SCV man dies in Las Vegas attack
Valencia father shot during concert, son remains in hospital injured
A Santa Clarita man and his son, a Valencia High School graduate, were among at least 527 people shot in Sunday’s mass shooting in Las Vegas, claiming the life of the elder man and leaving his son in the hospital.
John Phippen died early Monday after he was reportedly shot in the back during the shooting, according to family friend Jim Martin, who learned of the local connection Sunday night.
Phippen was one of 59 people killed in the shooting.
Phippen’s son, Travis, was reportedly shot in the arm, Martin told The Signal Monday morning.
Other SCV residents shot and wounded included:
Susie LaPorte, a recently retired Valencia hair dresser, was shot twice – once in the upper torso and once in the neck.
Kim Peoples, a Valencia resident and teacher at Meadows Elementary School, suffered an injury to her leg either from shrapnel caused by a gunshot or from a gunshot itself.
LASD Sgt. Andy Dahring, with the SCV Sheriff’s Station, was recovering Monday after being shot in the shoulder during Sunday’s concert. Sheriff spokeswoman Shirley Miller told
The Signal that “Sgt. Andy Dahring is in stable condition.”
Dominica Zeolla of Canyon Country underwent surgery in Las Vegas after being shot. Her Mother, Debbie told The Signal Monday: “She’s Ok but there’s a swelling in her neck.” She is reported to be in stable condition.
Jessi Presten of Valencia works as a loan officer at Skyline Home Loans in Valencia. One of Presten’s friends told The Signal: “She was shot in the arm.”
Cesar Ranuschio, of Canyon Country. According to a GoFundme site set up to raise money for him, Cesar was in Las Vegas with his fiancé Jessica when he was shot in the shoulder, according to Anne Marlett-Scholzen who set up the fund. She wrote; “during surgery it was discovered that the bullet had moved and lodged in his heart. A second surgery was required.”
Bruce “Bud” Wayne Horn, of Castaic; A spokesman for the Horn family plumbing company, Horns Backflow & Plumbing Services Inc., said Bud was injured in Las Vegas but had no update on his medical condition.
The shooting was the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. A gunman began shooting from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel at 10:08 p.m. Sunday.
Officials identified the gunman as Stephen Craig Paddock, a 64-year-old retired accountant from Mesquite, Nevada in a press conference. The gunman killed himself as officers stormed his hotel room.
“My daughter sent me a text that Travis (Phippen) had called her crying and that was before he learned about his father,” Martin said.
Travis Phippen and Megan Martin each attended Valencia High, he said.
“He (Travis) called her from the hospital,” Martin said referring to his daughter.
“He sent her a picture of his gunshot wound, a single gunshot. “That was when he thought everything would be OK with his dad.”
Sometime after midnight, John Phippen died.
The news has rocked members of both the Phippen and Martin families.
“My daughter’s not feeling really good right now,” he said.
“When I got the text about the news, in the middle of the night, I went online and I couldn’t believe it. Oh My God, I couldn’t believe it,” Martin said.
John Phippen ran a home remodeling and repair company in Valencia called J P Specialties.
The local people injured Sunday were among more than two dozen SCV residents who attended Sunday’s ill-fated Route 91 Harvest Music Country Festival.
Susie LaPorte, who grew up in Newhall, attended the concert with her husband, Mitch, and her son, Logan.
Her longtime friend, Bobbi Burrows, received a text message update on LaPorte’s condition from LaPorte’s husband.
As of 4:15 p.m. Monday, LaPorte was inside the intensive care unit of a hospital in Las Vegas awaiting surgery.
“She is responding well to treatment and, if there are no complications, she will heal fine,” Burrows told The Signal.
Neither LaPorte’s husband nor her son were injured.
Kim Peoples, the other local woman injured, went to the concert with two friends – Nicole Stegall and Melissa Gilman – both from Santa Clarita.
Although her friends were not physically hurt, according to Stegall’s husband, Dan, friends of Peoples reported Monday that she was recovering from a gunshot related injury to her leg.
“She apparently has shrapnel in her leg,” Dan Stegall told The Signal Monday.
“I was on the phone with my wife when the shots were heard,” Stegall told The Signal Monday morning.
“Her two other friends had to run from the concert and took shelter in one of the other hotels,” he said.