These events will mark 8 years since Las Vegas mass shooting
Local governments and community groups are hosting several events this week urging togetherness to mark the eighth anniversary of the Oct. 1, 2017, mass shooting at a Las Vegas country music festival, which remains the deadliest act of gun violence in modern U.S. history.
From a 22,000-piece Clark County Museum exhibit that opened Monday, to city- and county-planned remembrance ceremonies, the public events help bring a sense of community for those who were impacted by the Route 91 Harvest festival shooting, Tennille Pereira, director of the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada’s Resiliency & Justice Center, said in an email.
On Oct. 1, 2017, a gunman opened fire from a high-rise suite at the Mandalay Bay that overlooked the festival grounds. According to the Metropolitan Police Department, the gunman barricaded himself in his room, and, over a span of roughly 10 minutes, used several high-powered assault weapons to shoot into the festival crowd, ultimately killing 60 people and injuring hundreds more.
Jackie Harris, a program coordinator at the center, cited research that shows memorials help support survivors of mass violence and commemorate those who died.
The multi-agency resource center advocates and supports emergency responders and survivors of crime, particularly those impacted by the 2017 mass shooting and the December 2023 shooting at UNLV’s campus.
“In the Route 91 community, there is a strong need to preserve the memory of October 1, 2017, and the 58 individuals that we lost,” Harris said via email. Two others injured in the shooting later died.
The “Remembering 1 October” exhibit will run until Oct. 9 at the Clark County Government Center, 500 Grand Central Parkway in Las Vegas, and features several items like banners, letters, hats, stuffed animals and other mementos left at the landmark “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign following the shooting. Renderings for a permanent monument to honor victims, as well as other artwork, will also be on display, according to a Sept. 4 press release.
“The resilience of the Las Vegas community, paying tribute to all those present, and honoring those that contributed to the recovery efforts is an important component to the permanent memorial,” Harris wrote. “The Forever One Memorial will be a gathering place for future remembrance events, educate the public about the impact of mass violence and provide resources on healing and hope.”
On 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, officials will hold a remembrance ceremony at the county government center’s outdoor amphitheater with remarks from Gov. Joe Lombardo, Metro Sheriff Kevin McMahill, Clark County Commission Chairman Tick Segerblom, and Simi Valley, Calif., resident Jeff Poole, whose daughter, Keri Lynn Galvan, was fatally shot. The event is expected to last about an hour and will be broadcast on public access and social media channels, the county said.
City officials will host a memorial Wednesday evening at the Las Vegas Community Healing Garden, 1015 S. Casino Center Blvd., starting at 10:05 p.m. — roughly the time when the shooting began. The ceremony will include the reading of the names of the 58 victims who died in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. The city will stream the ceremony on social media and on its public access channel.
The Resiliency & Justice Center’s website also lists events taking place Tuesday, including a quilt raffle to benefit 1 October survivors, bereaved relatives and first responders. In addition to a memorial at the Healing Garden, tributes will also be held at sites across the Las Vegas Valley, including:
— The “Vegas Strong” Heart Mural at 6980 Westcliff Drive in Las Vegas
— The “Heartfullness” Sculpture in front of the Fashion Show Mall, 3200 Las Vegas Blvd.
— The “North Las Vegas Strong” memorial near the pond at Craig Ranch Regional Park, 628 W. Craig Road in North Las Vegas
— The “Vegas Strong” bench and stars near the Peccole Ranch Disc Golf Park at 1398 Apple Drive in Las Vegas.
Other events Wednesday will include a blood drive from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the parking lot of City National Arena, the official practice facility of the Golden Knights, located at 1550 S. Pavilion Center Drive in Las Vegas. A virtual remembrance ceremony hosted by Alice Goldstein, a licensed professional counselor who facilitates a weekly support group for Route 91 survivors and impacted families, takes place on Zoom at 5:30 p.m. Participation in the online ceremony is open to all who submit an RSVP.
Information about other events, including a “human chain” and country music fundraiser in California, and those taking place locally in Spanish, can be found on the Resilience & Justice Center’s website.
Contact Casey Harrison at charrison@reviewjournal.com. Follow @casey-harrison.bsky.social on Bluesky.