WATCH: Hudson Mack is hoping to find the man who saved his son’s life after a mass shooting in Las Vegas. April Lawrence reports.
Grief was growing along the Las Vegas strip Tuesday as people mourn the 59 dead and more than 500 injured in the worst mass shooting in U.S. history.
Among the injured is 21-year-old Victoria man Sheldon Mack.
He was shot twice while at Sunday night’s country music concert, once in the abdomen and once in the forearm.
His parents heard about the shooting while at home in Victoria.
“So for about three or four hours as we were watching the coverage and seeing the numbers rise in terms of the number of people killed we were frantic before we finally found him at the hospital where we are now,” said Sheldon’s father and former CHEK News anchor Hudson Mack from a hospital in Las Vegas.
Mack says they didn’t realize how close to death Sheldon was until they spoke with his surgeon Tuesday and now they’re trying to find the man who saved his life so they can thank him.
“There was a guardian angel, someone from the scene who helped him to safety and then stayed with him in the ambulance until they got to the hospital, applying pressure to prevent him from bleeding to death,” said Mack.
Four Canadians were killed in the shooting ? 34-year-old mother of two Tara Roe Smith of Okotoks, Alta., 28-year-old Calla Medig from Jasper, Alta. 28-year-old Jessica Klymchuk of Valleyview, Alta., and 23-year-old Jordan McIldoon from Maple Ridge, B.C.
McIldoon’s family released a statement Tuesday saying, “from the people who stayed with Jordan that night and held his hand, to the first responders who had to rush in to an unimaginable scene, we would like to thank everyone for their incredible love and support.”
“We choose to focus on love over hatred and are moving forward knowing that Jordan was so incredibly loved by many.”
Federal investigators are now looking into shooter Stephen Paddock’s finances.
The man, who used ten suitcases to carry 23 firearms into his Mandalay Bay hotel room, recently transferred $100,000 to an account in the Philippines, a country his girlfriend has ties to.
“My heart is torn is destroyed for all these people but I can’t tell you why Steve did what he did,” said his brother Eric Paddock.
The Mack family is thankful for the outpouring of support from Vancouver Islanders and remain grateful they get to bring their son home.
“As difficult as this has been for him and he’s a trooper, and hard on us as a family we just know how fortunate we are compared to what so many others are going through and our heart goes out to them,” said Mack.
If all goes well, they hope Sheldon can return to Victoria by the weekend.
April Lawrence
