This father saved his kids with a selfless act during the Las Vegas shooting
On Sunday night in Las Vegas, a lone gunman took the lives of 58 people and injured 400 more. Stationed in a hotel room on the 32nd floor at the Mandalay Bay hotel, the gunman opened fire on more than 22,000 attendees enjoying the final night of the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival. Many members of the crowd have spoken to the press about this act of terror, including a father from Philadelphia — Mike McGarry. The 53-year-old man threw his body on top of his children outside the venue and stayed there until the shooting was over. According to Reuters, McGarry’s back was covered in footprints, from panicked concertgoers running over him to escape. But he didn’t move, he stayed to protect his kids.
“It was crazy — I laid on top of the kids. They’re 20. I‘m 53. I lived a good life,” McGarry told Reuters.
WATCH: Witness video shows 22,000-person concert as gunman opens fire from 32nd floor of Las Vegas hotel. https://t.co/OMMlwif54N pic.twitter.com/PhKnK8fMdM
— NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (@NBCNightlyNews) October 2, 2017
Country artist Jason Aldean was one of the performer’s last night, who wrote on his Instagram, “Tonight has been beyond horrific. I still dont know what to say but wanted to let everyone know that Me and my Crew are safe. My Thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved tonight. It hurts my heart that this would happen to anyone who was just coming out to enjoy what should have been a fun night.”
Jake Owen, another country singer at the venue told CNN, “This is not an exaggeration: This shooting was going on for at least 10 minutes. It was nonstop.”
Another concertgoer, Gail Davis, revealed (via the New York Times), “I’ve never been that scared in my life. To have this happen, I can’t wrap my mind around it.”
Our hearts go out to all of the victims, along with their families and loved ones. This unimaginable violence breaks our hearts.
