Residents of Greater Victoria, like those around North America and beyond, were shocked to hear of the mass attack Sunday night on a concert in Las Vegas.
As this is a popular time for Canadians to go to the Nevada city, many of us likely know people who were in the area, or worse, were among the concertgoers at the Mandalay Bay Hotel on Sunday night. VicPD Chief Del Manak and his family, for example, happened to be in the Mandalay Bay complex at the time of the incident.
Our hearts and thoughts are with anyone directly or indirectly affected by this horrible tragedy. It will, without doubt, have an effect on many lives and will put a chill on many people’s future plans to visit this vibrant city, as the 911 terror attacks did for New York City for a while.
As a news organization we try to localize provincial, national and international stories, from those that are terrifying and awful like the Las Vegas shooting or the aftermath of hurricanes, to positive ones, such as when Greater Victoria cyclist Ryder Hesjedal was doing well on the Tour de France.
Some might chastise us for looking for that local angle to a big story, but we believe it’s one of the best ways to bring us all closer together in times of sorrow and times of joy.
As this edition of the News goes to press, details from Las Vegas are still emerging. While the gunman chose to end his own life after unleashing a horrible fury on unsuspecting and innocent individuals, we’re still learning who the victims are and the friend or family connections they might have to our readers and ourselves.
We appreciate people sharing their stories and experiences related to this incident, and any other incidents that have a far-reaching impact on our citizens. Staying connected is the best way to counter the hatred and insanity that drives those who are behind such inflictions of terror.
