Las Vegas shooting memorial could begin taking shape next year

The 1 October Memorial Committee is accepting submissions for ideas that could be incorporated into the final memorial.

Those interested in participating may submit creative ideas, including drawings, poems, songs or statements, until Oct. 31. Those submissions will be considered by the design teams chosen to create the final memorial, which could begin to take shape late next year.

The memorial will honor the 60 victims and thousands of survivors who were part of the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history. The shooting unfolded across the street from Mandalay Bay on Oct. 1, 2017, the final night of the Route 91 Harvest music festival.

MGM Resorts International donated 2 acres of private land to Clark County in August 2021 for the memorial.

Professional teams interested in building the final memorial may submit their applications on the county’s website until Oct. 31. They are encouraged to review the creative submissions in the public gallery available online.

As of Friday, 72 people had submitted ideas for the memorial.

The professional teams will be narrowed down by a seven-person jury, and the final team chosen will be expected to present a design to the county next summer.

A timeline of when the memorial would break ground has not been determined.

The seven-person committee meets monthly to discuss the memorial plans. It comprises survivor Karessa Royce; Mynda Smith, whose sister Neysa Tonks was killed; Tennille Pereira, director of the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center; Kelly McMahill, retired Metropolitan Police Department deputy chief; Rebecca Holden, vice chair of the Clark County Art Committee; and Clark County Art Committee members Robert Fielden and Harold Bradford.

Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur @reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.