Causes of death released for 58 killed in Las Vegas shooting
The cause of death for each of the 58 victims killed during the Las Vegas mass shooting was released Thursday, nearly three months after the massacre.
A report issued by the Clark County coroner’s office confirmed that all of the victims died from at least one gunshot wound. Each of the deaths was ruled a homicide.
In his first interview since the Oct. 1 shooting, Coroner John Fudenberg said it took his office so long to release the information because his staff was striving for accuracy and wanted to update the families first.
“Because of the impact that this incident had on our community, and the attention that this incident received, it became very important for us to ensure that all of the families had the information prior to us releasing it to the public,” said Fudenberg, who responded to the scene the night of the shooting.
Most of those killed at the Route 91 Harvest festival died from a single gunshot wound, according to the coroner’s office. Six died from multiple wounds.
Hundreds of others were injured but survived.
Of the homicide victims, 18 died from at least one gunshot wound to the head, 21 died from at least one gunshot wound to the chest, 15 died from at least one gunshot wound to the back, and three died from a gunshot wound to the neck.
Rocio Guillen of Corona, California, was the only person who died from a gunshot wound to the leg. The 40-year-old mother of four made it to a hospital with her fiance, Chris Jaksha, just before she died.
Jennifer Parks, a 36-year-old kindergarten teacher from Palmdale, California, died from multiple gunshot wounds to the head.
The off-duty Metropolitan Police Department officer killed at the festival, Charleston Hartfield, died from a gunshot wound to the chest. Thousands honored the 34-year-old father of two during a public memorial service in October.
In a separate statement released Thursday, the coroner’s office noted that gunman Stephen Paddock died from a gunshot wound to the head that entered through the mouth. His death was ruled a suicide.
Contact Rachel Crosby at rcrosby@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3801. Follow @rachelacrosby on Twitter.
Cause and Manner of death for Las Vegas shooting victims by Las Vegas Review-Journal on Scribd
