‘This garden is theirs’: Tribute honors victims of Oct. 1 shooting
Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman and city communications director David Riggleman honored the victims of the 2017 Route 91 Harvest festival shooting by reading their names aloud during a ceremony Friday night.
The annual tribute took place at the Las Vegas Community Healing Garden, The event was one of many held Friday to remember the victims of the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history that occurred on Oct. 1, 2017.
Earlier Friday, more than 200 people gathered in the amphitheater of the Clark County Government Center just after sunrise for the annual 1 October Remembrance Ceremony. Other tributes included one at the Golden Knights preseason game.
At the healing garden, Goodman began speaking at 10:05 p.m., the time the shooting began that tragic day four years ago.
“This special sanctuary memorializes every one of the 58 individuals that we tragically lost on 1 October, 2017,” Goodman said. “This garden is theirs. And the memories, of course, are ours.”
Not far from the healing garden, people danced and caught up with friends at the monthly First Friday event in the Arts District. The healing garden, though, was quiet.
Officials lit a candle and rang a bell as Goodman and Riggleman read each name. Hundreds of people packed into the space as the two alternated reading the names. The only other sounds coming as people cried or put their arms around each other, as they remembered the victims.
Fifty-eight people died initially as a gunman rained bullets from a hotel room at Mandalay Bay on the country music concert across the street, and hundreds more were injured. Two survivors later died from injuries suffered in the shooting.
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Even on the four-year anniversary, emotions were high throughout the ceremony. Afterward, most attendees shuffled out in silence, while some crossed the street to join in the First Friday festivities.
“That night changed our city forever,” Goodman said.
Contact Jonah Dylan at jdylan@reviewjournal.com. Follow @TheJonahDylan on Twitter.
