Tennessee man killed in mass shooting at Las Vegas country music festival
PARIS, Tenn. (WZTV) - A Tennessee man was killed in a mass shooting at the Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas, family confirmed to WZTV.
Sonny Melton, of Big Sandy, Tennessee, was one of at least 58 people killed when a gunman opened fire Sunday night on the crowd of 22,000.
Melton's wife, Heather Gulish Melton, said she is in complete disbelief.
"At this point, I'm in complete disbelief and despair. I don't know what to say. Sonny was the most kind-hearted, loving man I have ever met. He saved my life and lost his," Heather said in a statement to Fox 17 News.
A coworker said the Meltons were in Las Vegas celebrating their first wedding anniversary.
Melton worked as a nurse at Henry County Medical Center, where his wife also works as an Orthopedic Surgeon. Community members also tell Fox 17 that Heather is the team physician for the Henry County High School football team.
“The thoughts and prayers of the entire HCMC family are with Sonny and Heather’s families,” Thomas Gee, CEO at Henry County Medical Center, said. “We ask that all staff, friends, and patients of the couple respect their privacy at this time and refrain from contacting the family and the HCMC Kelley Clinic if they do not have a reason to do so.”
Prayer vigils for Melton are slated for 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the Big Sandy First Baptist Church.
More than 500 people were injured and taken to the hospital in the attack. The Associated Press reports this is the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
The gunman opened fire from inside the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino, where he was later found dead.
