The warden of the Butler County Prison was in Las Vegas on Sunday during the mass shooting.
Joe DeMore told KDKA-TV that he was not at the country music concert but was a few casinos away at Planet Hollywood when people started running in. They initially feared a shooter was chasing them.
DeMore said he and his brother ran into a nearby restaurant and hid in a stairwell for 15 minutes unsure what was going on. He soon learned of the unfolding tragedy.
In a Facebook post, DeMore wrote: “I’ve never been so scared or felt so helpless in my life. Prayers for all, can’t wait to get home Wednesday.”
Andrew Walsh of Gibsonia also found himself caught up in the Vegas chaos. He, too, was not at the concert, but was a few buildings away from the gunfire.
“It hit me all at once,” Walsh told the Butler Radio Network in an interview on Monday. “You could hear police cars, sirens and helicopters swirling.”
He told us he and a friend were planning to donate blood on Monday to aid the victims.
Beaver County native Rosemarie Trautman-Melanson was at the concert and shot in the chest. She remains in critical condition at a Nevada hospital.
Police say more than 50 people have been killed and over 500 injured in what marks the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. The gunman, who took his own life, opened fire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino and shot down into an outdoor concert venue across the street.
