Follow us

Header Ads

ad


So Sad: Victims Of The Las Vegas Shooting



In the deadliest mass shooting in recent US history, more than 58 people, including an off-duty Las Vegas police officer, were killed near the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas on Sunday. More than 500 people in the crowd of 22,000 were injured as musician Jason Aldean performed at a country music festival.
The gunman, identified as Stephen Paddock, 64, is believed to have killed himself, and police say his motives remain unknown.


A spokesperson for the Las Vegas Clark County Coroner's office told BuzzFeed News the office was not confirming the names of victims to media at this time.



Here is what we know about the victims of the attack who have been identified so far.


Christopher Roybal



Christopher Roybal, a Navy veteran who served in Afghanistan, was killed in the shooting, his mother, Debby Mendoza Allen, said on Facebook.

Roybal, 28, lived in Corona, California.

"Today is the saddest day of my life," his mother wrote on Facebook. "My son Christopher Roybal was murdered last night in Las Vegas. My heart is broken in a billion pieces. For anyone who knew the relationship we shared, you then know we were best friends. I will forever miss my Munchkin."

In a post, a friend, Matthew Austin, wrote that he and Roybal had joined the Navy together "when we were just boys."

"It breaks my heart and infuriates me to know that a veteran can come home from war unharmed and events like these occur," Austin wrote.





















In his most recent public Facebook post from July, Roybal wrote, "What's it like being shot at?"

He said that it was a question he was frequently asked because "it's something that less that 1% of our American population will ever experience. Especially one on a daily basis."

"My response has always been the same, not one filled with a sense of pride or ego, but an answer filled with truth and genuine fear/anger," Roybal wrote.

He described his experiences of war saying being shot at was "a nightmare no amount of drugs, no amount of therapy and no amount of drunk talks with your war veteran buddies will ever be able to escape."

Neysa Tonks




Neysa Tonks, who worked at an Irvine-based technology company and who was a mother of three boys, died in the shooting, her employer, Technologent said in a statement.

"The Technologent family lost one of our own in this tragedy," the statement said. "A great mother, colleague and friend, Neysa Tonks. She leaves behind three boys - Kaden, Braxton and Greysen. Neysa has brought so much joy, fun and laughter to Technologent – she will be greatly missed by all!"

The company also set up a fundraising page on behalf of Tonks's family.

Friends and family members paid tribute to Tonks on social media.

"Because of some selfish GARBAGE human being, our family won’t be able to see our beautiful cousin, Neysa Tonks again," a cousin wrote on Facebook. "She was a wonderful Mom, daughter, sister, cousin, and all around, a good person."

Another friend wrote that Tonks, who was from Salt Lake City, Utah, once showed her around Las Vegas "Neysa style."

"She was so full of life and so much fun. She was so proud of her boys .. such an amazing soul. Such a beautiful person," the friend wrote.

Sandy Casey



Courtesy MBUSD


































Sandy Casey, a special education teacher at the Manhattan Beach Middle School in California, died in the shooting, the Manhattan Beach Unified School District said in a press release provided to BuzzFeed News.

“She is loved by students and colleagues alike and will be remembered for her sense of humor, her passion for her work, her devotion to her students, and her commitment to continuing her own learning and to taking on whatever new projects came her way,” the school district said.

She had worked as a teacher at the school for the past nine years.

"We lost a spectacular teacher who devoted her life to helping some of our most needy students," the school district's superintendent, Michael Matthews, said in a statement.
In a Facebook post, Casey's partner Christopher Willhemse, wrote, "The love and support that she and I have received during these trying times just shows how important this wonderful woman truly was. She lived life to the fullest and made me the happiest man in the world. Im so grateful for the kind words and gestures, it means the world to me, especially for her."

Denise Burditus




Denise Burditus died in the arms of her husband of 32 years, Tony Burditus, according to a Facebook post he wrote about his wife, Metro News reported.

"It saddens me to say that I lost my wife of 32 years, a mother of two, soon to be grandmother of five this evening in the Las Vegas shooting,” Tony Burditus wrote. “Denise passed in my arms. I LOVE YOU BABE.”

Denise Burditus posted pictures of her and Tony at the Route 91 concert on her social media accounts, hours before the shooting.
Her daughter wrote a Facebook post to thank people for their thoughts and prayers. "This is still very fresh & we need time," Mallorie Burditus wrote. "Time to reflect, time to grieve, & time just to be with each other."

Denise, who was from Hedgesville, West Virginia, was living in Martinsburg with Tony who had retired from the Army last year, NorthWestMilitary.com reported.

Denise Burditus, who described herself as a college student and semi-retired, was "working on her college degree and was so proud of her grades," Carlene Joseph, a former president of the local Association of the United States Army chapter, told NorthWestMilitary.com.

"She had a West Virginia heart as big as she was. Total shame this woman was taken so quickly during the second stage of her life. She just turned 50," Joseph said.

Susan Smith


Susan Smith, 53, an office manager at an elementary school in California who was at the concert with friends, died in the shooting, Jake Finch, a spokeswoman for the Simi Valley Unified School District told BuzzFeed News.

Smith had worked for the school district for 16 years and was serving as the office manager of Vista Fundamental Elementary School for the past three years, Finch said.

"I knew Susan, she was wonderful and great at her job," Finch said. "She was the hub of the school and the principal's right hand. She would field any problems and make sure things are getting ordered and reports are filed," she said.

Smith was married and had a son and a daughter who are in their 20s.

Angie Gomez




Angie Gomez, who graduated in 2015 from Riverside Polytechnic High School in California, was identified as one of the victims by the school's parent teacher student association. "She will always be loved and endeared by our Poly Family," the PTA said in a Facebook post.
A fundraising page — created by her Poly Cheer and Song community, of which Gomez was an alumni — described her as "cheerful young lady with a warm heart and loving spirit."

The fundraising page was started to help her family with burial and other arrangements and needs.

Her friends posted tributes to Gomez on social media.




View image on TwitterView image on TwitterView image on TwitterView image on Twitter

my heart is in shambles and none of this feels real. 8 yrs of friendship & we had so much more to go. rest easy twin, you are so loved ðŸ’”
20-year-old Veronika Maldonado, who lives in Riverside, California, called Angie her "twin," on Twitter. She said that Angie was 20, and that she attended the concert with her boyfriend.
"Angie was studying to become a nurse at Riverside Community College. She loved her family more than anyone I know and was the biggest animal lover," she told BuzzFeed News. "She had such a sincere soul and was such a caregiver. She would have been the perfect nurse."
Maldonado said that her friend's loss will be felt "for all the years to come."
"Angie and I have cheered together for years and we've always been in the same stunt group along with our two other best friends," she said. "She was my other base. My literal right hand. To me, her loss will be an absence to our group for all the years to come."

Lisa Romero-Muniz




Lisa Romero-Muniz, a secretary at a high school in New Mexico, was one of the victims of the shooting, a Gallup-McKinley County Schools official said at a news conference Monday.
The official said that Romero lost her life during "the senseless shooting" in Las Vegas.

She had worked for the school district since 2003 and was most recently serving as a discipline secretary for Miyamura High School.

"She was not only an employee of our school district, but was an incredible, loving, and sincere friend, mentor, and advocate for our students in many of the schools in which she worked at," the official said.

He said that her colleagues described her as an "outgoing, kind, and considerate" person and the students, whom she worked with for their disciplinary actions, said she "was there for them and she respected them."
Her family members posted tributes on Facebook, describing her loss as "total heartbreak" and reminiscing about how happy Romero was at a recent family reunion.

Quinton Robbins



Quinton Robbins, whose death was reported by family members on social media, was a 20-year-old student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Friends described him as the "sweetest, most genuine boy."
Kilee Sanders, Robbins' aunt, told Newsweek she was "at a loss," because his death was "so sudden." In a Facebook post, Sanders called Robbins "the most kind and loving soul" with a "contagious laugh and smile."
Another family member wrote on Facebook to thank Quinton for being a positive influence on his life. "There were so many times growing up when I was in a situation and thought to myself, what would Quinton do," he wrote. "I wouldn’t be who I am today without you."
Originally from Henderson, Nevada, Robbins "loved fishing and hunting," according to Valori Houser, 19, who attended high school and served on the student council with him. Houser told BuzzFeed News in a message that Robbins "had lots of friends" and was always a "friendly face in the crowd."
One friend wrote on Twitter that Robbins was "suppose[d] to be our best man and god father one day. Dreamt of kids playing t-ball together and growing up together."
And Tyce Jones, a family friend, told Newsweek that Robbins coached his little brother’s flag football team and was a "pay-it-forward-kind-of guy."

Sonny Melton




A registered emergency room nurse at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital in Tennessee, Sonny Melton attended the Las Vegas concert along with his wife, Heather Gulish Melton, who confirmed his death to USA Today.
"I want everyone to know what a kind hearted loving man he was but at this point I can barely breathe," she wrote in a statement to the newspaper. Melton told local media that her husband had saved her life during the attack.
A resident of Big Sandy, Tennessee, Melton was remembered by those who knew him as "a great guy to be around" and "an amazing person and amazing nurse" on social media.
Melton was a graduate of Union University, completing his Bachelor of Science in Nursing Accelerated degree in 2015. He served as president of his class. In a tribute on Facebook, Christy Davis, assistant professor of nursing, said Melton “had a sweet, kind spirit about him.”
“You know how when you met someone and you just know that they’re good and kind? That was Sonny,” she wrote.

Jordan McIldoon




Canadian Jordan McIldoon, from Maple Ridge, British Columbia, would have turned 24 on Friday, according to a relative who spoke with the Huffington Post.
His parents, Al and Angela McIldoon, confirmed his death to Canadian outlet CBC News.
"We only had one child," they said. "We just don't know what to do."
McIlldoon worked for Jacob Bros Construction in Surrey and attended the concert with his girlfriend. His parents said they had received calls from both their son’s girlfriend and Las Vegas paramedics, and that they were receiving support from the Canadian Consulate.
“We’re just all in shock,” McIldoon’s employer, Paul Simpson, told Canada24 News. “He’s a mechanic for us. We’re just in shock here.”
A family member told the Huffington Post that McIldoon was just one month shy of completing a course to qualify as a heavy-duty mechanic and that relatives were traveling to Las Vegas to retrieve his body.

Jessica Klymchuk


#BREAKING: Edmonton woman killed in #VegasAttack identified as Jessica Klymchuk. She was a single mother of 4, visi… https://t.co/ZVDKSpzEPe

Multiple Canadian news outlets reported Jessica Klymchuk, a single mother of four from Edmonton, Canada, was killed in the attack while visiting Las Vegas with her fiancé.

Charleston Hartfield




Charleston Hartfield, a Las Vegas Metropolitan police officer who was attending the music festival while off duty, was killed in that attack Sunday, friends of the family confirmed to BuzzFeed News and the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Friends said the family has asked for privacy at this time.
Hartfield had recently written a book on policing in Las Vegas called Memoirs of a Public Servant and coached a local football team, the Henderson Cowboys, a friend said. The team posted a photo of Hartfield on Facebook Monday where friends shared condolences and memories.
“I don’t know a better man than Charles,” said Troy Rhett, a friend who spoke to the Review-Journal. “They say it’s always the good ones we lose early. There’s no truer statement than that with Charles.”
The friend who messaged with BuzzFeed News called him “one of the greatest guys I ever met.”
Just hours before the shooting took place, Hartfield posted a photo of the banner from the Route 91 country music festival to Facebook.
The description of his book reads (in part): "Documenting the thoughts, feelings, and interactions of one Police Officer in the busiest and brightest city in the world, Las Vegas. This memoir takes you through the personal interactions experienced by a Police Officer with not only the community he seeks to serve but with his partners and their personalities. Some calls are over in an instant while others stick with you forever."

So Sad: Victims Of The Las Vegas Shooting So Sad: Victims Of The Las Vegas Shooting Reviewed by Unknown on October 03, 2017 Rating: 5

No comments:

Ad Home

Powered by Blogger.