SACRAMENTO – On the one-month anniversary of the mass shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today issued a proclamation declaring November 1, 2017 as a “Day of Remembrance of the Las Vegas Mass Shooting” and ordered that flags be flown at half-staff over the State Capitol.
“The loss of each of these innocent people has created a hole in the heart of humanity,” said Governor Brown. “We remember them with great sadness, but also for the light that they brought to the world. We also honor the hundreds of survivors, many of whom will endure years of physical and emotional hardship as a result of this senseless tragedy, and the brave first responders whose swift action saved many lives.”
The text of the proclamation is below:
PROCLAMATION
On October 1, 2017, in Las Vegas, Nevada, 22,000 people, including many from California, gathered to celebrate their love of music at the Route 91 Harvest Festival. For reasons we may never know, a depraved gunman chose this occasion to commit the deadliest act of mass murder in modern American history. Over the course of ten terrifying minutes, this man was able to shoot or cause related injuries to more than 600 people, 58 of whom would die from their wounds.
I do not write today to repeat the murderer’s name nor to speculate about what caused someone to enact such a fiendish plan. Today, let us instead remember the 36 women and 22 men who died on that awful night, men and women whose only intent was to enjoy a peaceful evening of entertainment. The majority of the slain, 23 women and 10 men, were fellow Californians. Their numbers included parents, grandparents, teachers, a veteran and two employees of law enforcement. The youngest three victims were just 20 years old, and the eldest was 67.
The loss of each of these innocent people has created a hole in the heart of humanity, a void in a family and community that can never truly be filled. We remember them with great sadness, but also for the light that they brought to the world.
We also honor the hundreds of survivors, many of whom will endure years of physical and emotional hardship as a result of this senseless tragedy, and the brave first responders whose swift action saved many lives.
On this Day of Remembrance, I have ordered that flags be flown at half-staff over the State Capitol.
NOW THEREFORE I, EDMUND G. BROWN JR., Governor of the State of California, do hereby proclaim November 1, 2017, as a “Day of Remembrance of the Las Vegas Mass Shooting” in the State of California.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 1st day of November 2017.
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EDMUND G. BROWN JR.
Governor of California
ATTEST:
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ALEX PADILLA
Secretary of State