'You Could Feel The Crowd Tense Up': Las Vegas Survivor Remembers Shootings
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- One year ago Monday, 58 people were killed in the mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas.
It was the deadliest mass shooting incident committed by one person in modern U.S. history.
Police say the shooter was found dead in his hotel room of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. No motive was ever confirmed.
The city is hosting a number of events to remember the tragedy. Some of those events have already started, including a 58-hour vigil organized by the man who made 58 crosses for each of the victims. Starting last night and continuing through the day, each of those victims is dedicated one hour in memorial.
Other events planned for the first anniversary include a memorial blood drive, a community prayer vigil and a candlelight vigil.
Then, at 10:01 p.m., the Las Vegas Strip will go dark. Each of the marquees will turn off their lights before city officials read the names of each person killed at 10:05 p.m., which is the same time the gunshots began last year. When the marquees turn back on, they'll say "Vegas Stronger."
Meanwhile, a Minneapolis woman has spent the past year taking steps to find her own strength. Shelby Henderson was there that night with two friends. She told WCCO's Jeff Wagner all three of them ran and hid in different directions.
She said she remembers thinking, "This isn't just a normal sound. This isn't just something in the distance. This is something pretty serious. ... You could just feel the crowd tense up."
Henderson and her friends all left Las Vegas physically alright, and she said she also thought her emotional well-being was in check, but she crossed a lot of ups and downs to get where she is now.
Tune into WCCO 4 News at 10 Monday evening to see Jeff Wagner's full interview with Henderson.