The student news site of Colonia High School

The Massacres in Las Vegas and Texas

January 30, 2018

Only a month apart from one another, two devastating massacres occurred in Las Vegas and Rural Texas.

Las Vegas

 On Sunday, October 1, 2017,  gunman Stephen Paddock opened fire into a crowd of concertgoers at the Route 91 Harvest music festival on the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada. Firing over 1,100 rounds he left 58 people dead and 851 injured. Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock was obsessed with his status when it came to being one of the city’s elite, but when he started losing large amounts of cash, that popularity was quickly replaced with depression—which investigators say might be one of the primary reasons behind his attack on October 1. Google search history shows Paddock researched other large-scale venues.  He booked hotel rooms overlooking Lollapalooza in Chicago. But the report reflects inquiries dating back to May 18, 2017. He choose to commit his crime in Las Vegas on October 1, 2017 taking the lives of 58 innocent people. 

Photo Credit: Photo via Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons License
View from hotel looking onto concert area, and path of shots fried in the Las Vegas shooting.

Texas

On Sunday, November 5th, between 10:05 and 10:15 p.m. shooter Devin Kelley entered the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, and brutally murdered 26 people and 20 people injured. It is the deadliest church shooting in modern U.S. history. Mothers, Children, Men, Women, Grandparents and unborn babies were all killed. The Texas shooter Devin Patrick Kelley’s troubled past emerged and his past displayed a pattern of violent and disturbing behavior. Two heroes emerged in the chaos Stephen Willeford, and Johnnie Langendorff. Stephen Willeford, who lives near the church, grabbed his own gun and ran out of the house barefoot to confront the gunman, shortly after he spotted Johnnie Langendorff’s truck across the street and hailed him down. The two perused gunman Devin Kelley exchanged gun fire and tracked him down, they led the police to him even when he was out of their sights. 

Photo Credit: Photo via Flikr under Creative Commons License
Front view of Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Daingerfield, Texas, where the shooting took place.

Both Gunmen committed suicide shortly after they took the lives of multiple innocent people. The devastated nation came together in support of the victims and their families of both Texas and Las Vegas.

About the Contributor
Photo of Frankie Brock
Frankie Brock, Editor in Chief

Frankie Brock is a 17  year old Senior at Colonia High School. She is the Senior Class Presidents and loves getting involved in all Colonia High School...

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