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Route 91 Harvest Festival has released a statement following a shooting massacre on Sunday evening (Oct. 1) that left at least 59 people dead and more than 500 injured. The shooter, Stephen Paddock, fired into a festival crowd of 22,000 from his 32nd-floor hotel suite at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.
In the wake of the shooting, country fans, the music community and the festival staff are still trying to make sense of the senseless killing spree. In an official statement, the Route 91 Harvest Festival team say they are “completely devastated by the event” and send their “deepest sympathies to the injured and the deceased and their loved ones.”
Read the complete statement from Route 91 Harvest Festival:
On behalf of the entire Route 91 Harvest Family, we are completely devastated by the event that occurred Sunday night.
Our deepest sympathies go out to the injured and the deceased and their loved ones, senseless violence has claimed the souls of our fans and we have little in the way of answers.
Our eternal gratitude goes out to the LVPD, Emergency services, security guards, and fans for their selfless acts of bravery while trying to help those in need.
While we will try and move forward, we will never forget this day.
We will NOT let hate win over LOVE.
We will NOT be defeated by senseless violence.
We WILL persevere, and honor the souls that were lost.
Because it matters.– Route 91 Harvest
Festival headliner Jason Aldean was about 15 minutes into his set, singing his hit “When She Says Baby” when the shooting began. After some time to collect his thoughts, he said the following: “Over the last 24 hrs I have gone through lots of emotions. Scared, Anger, Heartache, Compassion and many others. I truly don’t understand why a person would want to take the life of another. Something has changed in this country and in this world lately that is scary to see.”
Also on Sunday’s Route 91 Festival lineup: Jake Owen, Luke Combs and Kane Brown. All are safe after the shooting.
Jake Owen, Chris Young Describe the Shooting
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Photos From the Shooting Scene Show Chaos, Courage
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