Saturday marks five years since a shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas claimed the lives of 58 people — a day that changed the lives of dozens of families who lost loved ones, and hundreds more still dealing with the trauma they experienced.
“Just don’t forget. That’s the main thing, just don’t forget,” said Karen Larsen, who lives in Davis County. She and her sister — Sharon Hokanson, who lives in St. George — were at the music festival when the shooting happened on Oct. 1, 2017.
The two are back in Vegas this weekend attending a concert to remember the lives lost that day. Looking back to what happened five years ago, the sisters say it was during an act on night three that everything changed.
“We hear this 'pop, pop, pop' — we kind of thought it was fireworks or firecrackers," Hokanson said. "But we even thought, 'Well, that's strange that somebody would set firecrackers off in here,' you know? and it didn't take long, though, and somebody screamed to 'hit the ground. They're shooting at us.'"
The sisters say they still haven’t fully processed everything from that night.
“You can't really go to a concert anymore without thinking about it, at least,” Hokanson said. “But yeah, we don't want to let it stop us from getting out and living our lives... But that is always on the back in the back of our mind.”
They couldn’t let this horrific experience affect their love for live music, or hold them back.
“I don't have to let him ruin that for the rest of my life. I'm just going to get right back out there and do it,” said Larsen.
The pair visited the memorial for the 58 victims in Clark County. They say the tragedy brought survivors from all over together, and they have forged a special bond.
“It was an awful thing,” Hokanson said. “It really did happen, but those of us who survived are truly like a family and have that in common, and can help and support each other and be like a family. Yeah, just talking to people who were there about it... it's therapeutic.”
They want people to never forget the tragedy and be thankful to be alive — just like they are.
“Just live life to the fullest because it can change in a split second.”
The Vegas Strong Resiliency Center has events and opportunities to recognize and remember the lives lost. There are also resources for anyone dealing with struggles from that day, which can be found on the center's website.
