Steve Marcus/AP Photo
A view of the Las Vegas Strip as casinos dim their marquees signs for 11 minutes, to honor the victims and heros of the Oct. 1 mass shooting, shooting, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2017, in Las Vegas.
Sunday, Oct. 8, 2017 | 10:36 p.m.
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At 10:05 p.m. in Las Vegas, hotels marquees on the famed Strip went dark to mark the exact moment the Route 91 Harvest Festival mass shooting took place one week prior.
Properties along Las Vegas Boulevard participated in the 11-minute long blackout to honor the victims and their families.
Stephen Paddock opened fire on a crowd of 22,000 people at the festival, killing 59 and injuring nearly 500 in the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history. The shooting spree lasted approximately 11 minutes.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority said in a Facebook post Sunday, “For they are the stars that shine brightest in our hearts.”
As the usually bright and vibrant signs went dark, visitors on the Strip took notice. All week those marquees have posted words of encouragement as the community starts the healing process.
“I think it’s awesome. We’ve all got to commemorate those who died and take time out for them,” said Nickolas Paris, a Michigan native who now resides in Las Vegas. “You see all these people here on the bridge, families and all, remembering those who died.”
Paris wasn’t aware the occasion was going to take place, he just noticed the hundreds of people looking down the Strip on his work break.
“This gives a little spark to humanity,” he said. “It’s bringing us closer together. Kind of like 9-11.”
Las Vegas Boulevard had a noticeable police presence Sunday after the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings NBA preseason game at the T-Mobile Arena. More than a dozen marked and unmarked police vehicles lined the border of Toshiba Park just outside the arena.
The investigation into the shooting continues, as Metro Police and the FBI work to establish a motive for Paddock carrying out the attack.
