Police have identified all but a handful of the 59 victims of Sunday night's mass shooting outside the Mandalay Bay hotel and casino in Las Vegas, and the dead had come from all over the country and Canada to hear country music at the Route 91 Harvest Festival. Not all of the victims have been publicly identified — Axios is keeping a running list of names and occupations — but each person had a story, and left behind a hole. The Associated Press has tracked down several of those stories.
Jack Beaton, 54, died protecting his wife, Laurie, on their 23rd wedding anniversary. Quinton Robbins, 20, was shot in the chest trying to find an escape route for his girlfriend. Heather Warino Alvarado, 35, was at the music festival with her daughter. Denise Cohen, 58 — remembered by her son for her infectious laugh — and her boyfriend, Derrick Taylor, 56, both died. Steven Berger of Minnesota was killed on a trip to celebrate his 44th birthday, leaving three kids without a father. Christiana Duarte had just gotten her first job out of college, doing marketing work for the Los Angeles Kings.
Andrea Castilla was celebrating her 28th birthday with her boyfriend, sister, and friends. Christopher Roybal, 28, had survived four tours in the Middle East, including combat in Afghanistan. "What's it like to be shot at?" he wrote on Facebook in July. "It's a nightmare no amount of drugs, no amount of therapy, and no amount of drunk talks with your war veteran buddies will ever be able to escape. Cheers boys." Those killed were teachers, police officers, office workers, restaurant workers, mothers, fathers, children. You can read more of their stories at AP.
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