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Updated: 4pm
A NURSE WHO died protecting his wife, and a school teacher who’d gone to the concert with her childhood sweetheart – the first victims of Sunday night’s mass shooting in Las Vegas have been named.
Tributes have begun to pour in, after the worst mass shooting in US history.
At least 59 people were killed and 500 were injured when a heavily armed gunman opened fire from his hotel room onto an open-air country music festival on the Las Vegas Strip.
Sonny Melton
Sonny Melton, a 29-year-old nurse from Tennessee, was shot and killed while attending the concert with his wife, Heather.
In a statement, his employers Henry County Medical Center said that its thoughts and prayers were with their families.
In an interview with WSMV, Heather Melton said her husband saved her life during the gunfire.
She said: “He saved my life. He grabbed me and started running when I felt him get shot in the back.
I want everyone to know what a kind-hearted, loving man he was, but at this point, I can barely breathe.
Adrian Murfitt
Adrian Murfitt, 35, was a commercial fisherman in Anchorage, Alaska.
His sister, Shannon Gothard, said the family had heard the news from a friend he was attending the concert with.
Gothard described her brother as a man with a hearty laugh and a former competitive hockey player who still dabbled in the game. “His whole life was always around hockey,” she said.
He had just come off an extremely successful fishing season when he made the trip to Las Vegas with some good friends, Gothard said.
Her brother “was happy to pay some things off and had made some really good money and decided to go out and celebrate and go to the concert and treat himself to something nice and fun,” she said.
Rachael Parker
Rachael Parker was shot and rushed to hospital where she later died.
The 33-year-old worked as a records technician for the police department in Manhattan Beach in California.
Colleagues said that she had worked there for 10 years, and will be “greatly missed”.
She was one of four off-duty Manhattan Beach officers at the concert.
Michael Gracia
A four-year veteran of the Ontario, California, police department was shot in the head during Sunday’s shooting, Ontario Police Sgt. Jeff Higbee said.
Officer Michael Gracia was injured, as was his girlfriend, and his condition is described as critical.
“He’s always real personable, upbeat, a real friendly guy,” Higbee said.
Sandra Casey
Sandy Casey, a middle school special education teacher living in Redondo Beach, California, was also among those killed.
“This is unbelievably tragic and sad,” Mike Matthews, superintendent of the Manhattan Beach School District, wrote in morning letter to the district yesterday. “This loss is impacting many of our staff members deeply.”
Casey was at the Las Vegas concert with her fiancé and a friend, who were not injured, O’Leary said. Most of Casey’s extended family lives in Vermont, she said.
“They’re receiving a lot of support and love, the best you can do with an unbelievable tragedy,” she said.
The family is discussing setting up a scholarship in Casey’s name.
Susan Smith
Susan Smith, a 53-year-old from Simi Valley near Los Angeles in California had worked as office manager at Vista Elementary School since 2001.
“Susan was wonderful with the kids and the staff and was an integral part of the school community here,” said Jake Finch, the public information officer for the district.
She was the hub of everything that happened at the school. If a kid is sick, she’s the one calling the parents and no matter how chaotic things got here, she was always smiling.
Jordan McIldoon
The 23-year-old mechanic was shot dead as he attended the festival with his fianceé.
British Columbia Premier John Horgan said in a statement that Mclldoon, a mechanic’s apprentice, was among those killed.
“We only had one child,” Al and Angela McIldoon, told the CBC. “We just don’t know what to do.”
Bailey Schweitzer
Dana Gardner
The mother was shot dead as she attended the festival with her daughter.
Jessica Klymchuk
Jessica Klymchuk, of Valleyview, Alberta, Canada, died on Sunday night in Las Vegas.
Klymchuk, 28, was an educational assistant, librarian and bus driver for St Stephen’s School, said the Holy Family Catholic Regional Division.
Quinton Robbins
Rhonda LeRocque
Irish reaction
Several books of condolence are currently being signed across Ireland for the victims of the Las Vegas mass shooting.
Books were opened in Clare and Cork while the US embassy in Dublin asked people to send messages via social media.
The Cork book opened at 2.30pm today by Mayor Declan Hurley.
Meanwhile, Clare County Council opened theirs at Áras Contae an Chláir in Ennis in memory of the victims. Mayor Tom McNamara and Pat Dowling, chief executive of the council, were the first to sign the book.
Mayor McNamara said: “On behalf of Clare County Council and the people of Clare, I wish to extend my deepest sympathies and condolences to the friends and families of the victims of this attack. I wish the people of the United States of America strength as they seek to overcome such a brutal and indiscriminate attack.”
The US embassy in Dublin issued a statement telling of its horror in the aftermath of the attack. A statement on its Facebook page read: “The US Embassy joins all Americans, Irish, and people around the world in expressing our condolences to the victims and families of the horrific attack in Las Vegas. If you’d like to leave a message of condolence, please do so.”
There were also tributes paid to the dead and injured in the Dáíl today during Leaders’ Questions.
Both Micheál Martin and Leo Varadkar began by paying tribute to those that died in the shooting in Las Vegas.
“In the faces of such horror and tragedy we stand in solidarity with our friends in the United States,” said Varadkar.
He said it was an “attack on all citizens”. The Taoiseach said he sent a message to US President Trump yesterday to state that they are standing in solidarity with them all.
With reporting from the Associated Press and Garreth MacNamee
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One would hope that this would see the excision of any reference to “blasphemy” from our Statutes, no matter how much Mr. Ahearne was in love with it. It is a provision just awaiting some extremist to avail of.
That’ll unfortunately require a referendum as Dev put that stupid crime in the constitution and then never defined what it was.
The blasphemy law was put in place by Noel Ahearne during the last administration
Hopefully overhauling the equalities act to remove the religious public bodies right to fire someone for their religion (or lack thereof) and sexuality. If ever there was a backward law its one that technically allows a religious run hospital or school to fire someone for being gay or an atheist. Absurd.
Dermot not Noël I think. And the dope has since admitted it was a mistake.
Niall…. That’s BLASPHEMOUS!
Was it? Jesus Christ!
Its hard to beat the brand new law in Sweden that makes it legal to w**k in public.
Lol, you said, “hard to beat”.
It’s the Defamation Act, not a ‘blasphemy law’. Blasphemy is a small part of it and the language is so watered down nobody will ever be convicted under it (I hope).
Where did anyone call it a “blasphemy law”? Try reading the posts. Further the wording as it stands does admit of prosecution, whether or not your learned self thinks it would be successful or not.
Dermot Lane, above, called it ‘the blasphemy law’.
Any chance they could knock that law preventing TD’s being stopped and breathalysed because they are on their way to the Dail?
In the constitution as well. Broadly, TDs and senators can’t be impeded by police if they’re on the way to the Oireachtas.
Kerry, NONE WHATSOEVER,
How about getting rid of the law banning the sale of alcohol on good Friday and Christmas Day?
Because it would lead to violent outrages and general humiliation. #coppers
The penalty for suicide up until 1964 was death by hanging.i wonder could you appeal for leniency
So they rehang a poor suicide victim … That’s overdoing it a bit don’t you think
Yeah. A bit like flogging a dead horse. Hung as a sheep AND a lamb!
Is it still legal to take a dump but not a piss on a public street?
I think you’re allowed to do your wees as long as it’s against the wheel of your carriage.
It is illegal to take a piss on a public street. My “friend” got done for it.
@Denise. I’m trying desperately to imagine the anatomical position that would render that possible
@john. My “friend” got away with the former
I think it’s still legal for pregnant women but I stand open to correction on that.
Beat me too it…
It’s legal to pee in the street if you are a pregnant woman. Can anyone confirm that it is legal to ask for a police mans hat if you are caught short to crap in. I can’t remember where I heard it but it would be interesting to try
Does this mean that ye can marry yer horse without being hung drawn and quartered?
Well I married mine.
(hi honey)
Has the ‘Kings Birthday’ been removed as a day off for public servants?
Fair play to the angry mob.
“A general fast and humiliation”: Troika anyone?
Fast and humiliation…? The chap really was off his rocker.
Say theres a few Clare lads getting fierce excited the ‘obscure’ references to copulating with siblings will be removed from the books.
Clare folk have to have a hobby.
Once I can continue to play games of chance in the town market square I dont mind what they do
Isn’t fast & humiliation just another way of saying AUSTERITY!
Not much has changed!
There must be something they are tring to take on the sly. Between that and potential loss of sheanad and Supreme Court under their control we might not know it yet but we are doomed slaves and fools for letting the pigs run the farm!!
I think you can relax: I don’t think the Supreme Court is being abolished any time soon.
How about laws for victimless ‘crimes’
Nice one!! The White Boys get away with it! It was worth the wait…
I wonder what theGuinness Estate Act1883 , is?
Now I am as well.
We did this in Colorado about 30 years ago and there was an uproar from the clergy about removing adultery from our criminal laws. The Chief Justice said at the hearing, “I know a married man who tried adultery, and he said he couldn’t tell the difference.” It cracked up the proceedings. They left it on the books, but they removed the penalty associated with it, making it non-criminal.
Blasphemy is what last year’s leaf screams at this year’s bud. All laws associated with it are repugnant to human development. Let the clergy tear their sullied gowns over it while we laugh at their all powerful gods needing the help of the legislature, so they won’t be toppled over by reason and true compassion.
I wonder what the Guinness Estate Act 1883 was.
Have you tried here? http://tinyurl.com/GEA1883
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