Having spent the first two nights of an outdoor Las Vegas music festival up close to the stage, the Christiesons of Quesnel decided to pull back for the final part of the show so they could leave the grounds quickly.
When bullets started to tear into the mass of innocent concert goers, it turned out to be the best decision they could have made.
On Sunday, Oct. 1, Kevin and Audrey Christieson, found themselves seeking cover from the indiscriminate gunfire that came from the 32nd-floor balcony of the Mandalay Bay hotel.
Fifty-nine have been confirmed dead, and more than 500 others injured. Four of the deceased are from Canada – one a young man from Maple Ridge.
The shooter has since been identified by police as 64-year-old Stephen Craig Paddock, a white male from Mesquite, Nevada.” Police have confirmed Paddock shot from the balcony, before turning the gun on himself.
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“We believe it is a lone wolf actor,” Las Vegas Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said.
Upon hearing the news of the shooting, friends and family of the Christieson’s were immediately panicked.
“I was basically speechless when we got word,” said Quesnel resident CarmenVos, the Christieson’s sister-in-law.
Vos’s partner, Glenn Christieson, was on the phone right away to text his brother Kevin and his wife to ensure they were safe.
Audrey recounted the events of that night with heartache.
It was the large crowd closest to the stage received the lion’s share of fired shots, Audrey said, where the Chriesteson’s had spent most of their weekend.
“That (large group of people) was where the shots were mostly fired.”
Christieson thought the sounds of the gunfire were fireworks, as did others around her.
“When I looked up above the Mandalay Bay to see them, I saw a flash of light coming from one of the balconies … That’s when we realized what was going on.”
Kevin grabbed Audrey and moved toward a set of bleachers, ducking under them for cover and lying on their bellies.
There were breaks in the firing, where it’s believed the gunman was reloading. People tried to make a run for it, but theChristiesons stayed put for 10 minutes after the shots were fired. They were soon informed it was safe to leave, but exiting the grounds was a terrifying experience.
“We just kept low and made our way along the side of the building. We saw many people with blood all over them … One woman was sobbing because her friend had just died.” Audrey said.
“Another woman had to lay over top of her four-year-old daughter (to shield her from the fire).”
The Christiesons were held under lockdown in the convention centre of the Tropicana hotel until around 4 a.m. when they were finally allowed to leave.
Returning home was an incredible feeling, but the pain of knowing many didn’t survive is a hard thing for Audrey to bear.
When they walked into the doors of their home, their “daughter came running up to us and we all just held each other for a long time and cried.”
Other Quesnel residents, like Lauren Abbott who attended the festival seperately with a group of friends said she’s still grieving the tragic night.
“It was horrible and we’re still processing,” she said.
“We are lucky to have made it out of the concert together and safe, but we saw things and experienced something we won’t be able to forget.”
