Airdrie, Alta., man looks back on 5 years since Las Vegas mass shooting
Trevor Hachey and his wife Tryphena love live music and go to as many concerts as they can.
They used to look for seats closest to the stage – now, they look for seats closest to the door.
"Our first instinct is – where is the nearest exit to get out quickly?" he told CTV News in an interview Thursday. "If it is an outdoor show, we need to figure out how we're getting out of these places."
Five years ago, the Hacheys and several of their friends were in Las Vegas, enjoying a Jason Aldean concert, when bullets started peppering the crowd.
By the end of the evening, 58 people were dead and nearly 500 more were injured by a man who fired into the crowd from a 32nd floor hotel room overlooking the outdoor music festival.
That man, 64-year-old Stephen Paddock, killed himself that same evening.
"It's hard to believe it's been five years for sure," said Hachey. "That night was a mad scramble. When the bullets started, you had no idea which way to go, if it was coming from above or below."
Hachey dove behind a bar and stayed there as long as he could, not knowing when the shooting would stop.
He and Tryphena decided to separate as they escaped the concert grounds, hoping that would increase the chances at least one of them would survive.
"We knew we couldn't run together because the shots were coming so close," Hachey said. "We thought somebody needs to come home to the kids, one of us has to get home for sure."
After splitting up , the couple weren't reunited until the following morning, as police converged on the scene, locking down hotels and other public places until the shooter could be found.
The Hacheys, who live in Airdrie, eventually made it back home.
Three other Albertans were among Paddock’s victims.
Hachey says he's grateful he and his wife weren't shot – but that doesn't mean they weren't hurt.
"Now when you see shootings on the news, the PTSD kicks in," he said. "We used to go to Vegas probably two to three times a year, we loved going, we'd always go with friends to see shows but we haven't been there since and aren't even entertaining the idea.”
Still, Hachey says one of the most unlikely results of the tragic shooting was new friendships. He and his wife still keep in touch with the strangers they were locked down with in Las Vegas in the chaotic hours after the shooting.
"We went through the exact same experience," he said. "We're almost a family now."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.