Santa Barbara residents Brian and Lara Mack were among the hundreds injured during a mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas on Oct. 1. California Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham (R-Templeton), of the 35th Assembly District, was inside the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino, where the gunman was found, during the attack.
Stephen Paddock, 64, reportedly shot hundreds of people from the 32nd floor of the hotel late that night, killing at least 59 and wounding more than 500. Las Vegas police reportedly found Paddock dead in his hotel room from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound after several minutes of continuous shooting.
Lara Mack posted a Facebook update on Oct. 2 thanking family and friends for showing support after the attack. The post stated that she was grazed by a bullet, treated, and released that day. Her husband, Brian, was still in the intensive care unit with severe abdominal injuries. Brian had been through surgery without complications, Lara wrote.
“Traumatizing and just so scary,” she wrote, “I don’t know what to say. Thank you all for your messages and everything we are so blessed.”
Assemblyman Cunningham was watching a show at the Mandalay Bay Hotel during the attack, according to reporting by The Tribune. According to the story, the hotel was on lockdown for several hours.
The Santa Barbara County Psychological Association announced its plan to offer low-cost counseling resources to those affected by the shooting. The press release stated, “Several local families were directly impacted by the tragedy.”
The association said in the release that it hopes victims will seek safety, process the incident with friends and family, and access services if symptoms of trauma persist. Like during previous tragedies, many members of the association will offer short-term, low- or no-cost therapy to community members who need help processing after the attack.
Representative Salud Carbajal also addressed the shooting in a press release issued Oct. 3, stating that thoughts and prayers for victims aren’t enough. Carbajal said in the release that he hopes to provide real solutions to gun violence in the U.S.
“The time to act is now,” Carbajal wrote, “and I will continue the fight to find common sense solutions to curb the gun violence epidemic our country is facing.”
