Las Vegas officials announced Monday that a permanent memorial dedicated to the victims and survivors of the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history will be completed by the 10th anniversary of the October 1, 2017, attack. The announcement comes on the eve of the seventh anniversary of the tragic event, wherein a lone gunman, Stephen Paddock, opened fire on the Route 91 Harvest music festival from his suite at the Mandalay Bay hotel. Paddock killed 58 people during the attack, a number that later rose to 60 as two more victims succumbed to their injuries.
The memorial will be constructed on the northeastern corner of what was once Las Vegas Village, the concert grounds where the massacre took place. Breaking ground on the project is expected to commence within six months, according to the Vegas Strong Fund nonprofit. The design, approved in September of last year, will feature 58 giant candle structures, each adorned with the name and photo of a victim. Additionally, 22,000 lights will illuminate the site, symbolizing each concert attendee present that night. A walking path will be constructed, guiding visitors through a garden and past a 58-foot glass tower to the candles.
Officials estimate the construction costs will amount to tens of millions of dollars, with Clark County contributing $1 million to the effort.
On that fateful night, beginning at 10:05 p.m., Paddock unleashed more than 1,000 rounds into the crowd from his vantage point in Room 32‑135 of the Mandalay Bay hotel. The attack persisted for over 10 minutes before he ended his own life with a revolver. The view from Paddock’s suite, showing the exact sightline he used during the attack, was later released by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, and the room has since been sealed off by MGM Resorts.
Despite the meticulous planning that went into the attack, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has classified Paddock’s motive as unknown. However, documents released by the FBI last year suggest that Paddock, a professional gambler, was disgruntled by the dwindling perks and benefits from various casinos.
In 2020, MGM, the parent company of Mandalay Bay, settled a class action lawsuit brought forth by 4,000 survivors and victims’ families for $800 million. Two years later, North Dakota’s Three Affiliated Tribes acquired 13 of the 15 acres of the original Las Vegas Village festival grounds for $90 million. The site has remained untouched since the tragedy, a stark reminder of the horrific event and the lives irrevocably altered.
