He 'saved my life and lost his': Las Vegas shooting victims

Las Vegas: A registered nurse from Tennessee who died shielding his wife, a doctor, from gunfire. The only son of a Canadian couple who is now left childless. A California middle school special education teacher engaged to be married.

All were among the at least 59 people killed in the mass shooting at a country music festival in Las Vegas.

Families, friends, co-workers and neighbors shared stories Monday about some of those slain and the hundreds more who were injured after a gunman opened fire on festivalgoers.

Off-duty Officer Coached Kids, Was Respected Leader
Off-duty Las Vegas police officer and youth football coach Charleston Hartfield was among those killed when a gunman opened fire on a crowd of concertgoers in Las Vegas, two of his friends said.

Hartfield, 34, was known as a selfless, respected leader who brought out the best in his players, said Stan King, whose son played football for Hartfield.

Troy Rhett, another friend of Hartfield's through football, said he knew from social media that Hartfield was attending the Sunday concert. When he heard about the shooting, he texted him, hoping to learn Hartfield was safe. He never heard back, and Rhett said he learned through another friend Monday morning that Hartfield had died.

Hartfield, who also went by "Chuck" or "Charles" or even "Chucky Hart," was also a military veteran and leaves behind a son and a daughter, Rhett said.

Hartfield is also listed at author of a book titled "Memoirs of Public Servant" about his time as a Las Vegas police officer.

Alaska Fisherman Had A Hearty Laugh
Commercial fisherman Adrian Murfitt, 35, of Anchorage, Alaska, was also among the slain, a family member said Monday.

His sister, Shannon Gothard, said the family heard from one of Murfitt's friends who was with him when he died, though they haven't received official confirmation about his death.

Asked if the family was holding out hope that he made it after all, she said, "No. No."

Gothard described her brother as a man with a hearty laugh and a former competitive hockey player who still dabbled in the game.

"His whole life was always around hockey," she said.

After graduating from high school, he became a fisherman, picking up odd jobs in the offseason.

He had just come off an extremely successful fishing season when he made the trip to Las Vegas with some good friends, Gothard said.

Her brother "was happy to pay some things off and had made some really good money and decided to go out and celebrate and go to the concert and treat himself to something nice and fun," she said.

Friend Helped Get Wounded College Student To Ambulance
Karessa Royce, a 22-year-old Las Vegas local, was rushed to an ambulance by a friend after she was shot in the shoulder, said Marissa Nino, her cousin who is acting as a family spokesperson.

Royce, a student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, is in the intensive care unit following surgery for a collapsed lung. She is expected to survive, Nino said. Royce had no identification on her at the concert, so it took the family some time to locate her, Nino said.

Royce is one of five children and is studying hospitality.

Royce's friend "definitely saved her life," Nino said. Royce cannot speak, but her friend shared what happened with the family and has been in the hospital by Royce's side since, Rios said.

West Virginia Woman Died In Husband's Arms
While the sun was still shining Sunday at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, Denise Burditus posted a photo on Facebook of herself and her husband standing in front of the stage, smiling broadly.

Later, after news of the massacre spread, a friend asked simply: "Are you two ok????"

Burditus never replied.

The Martinsburg, West Virginia, woman was among dozens of people killed when a gunman opened fire from a hotel overlooking the festival. MetroNews, a West Virginia-based radio network, reported that Tony Burditus wrote on his Facebook page that his wife was among the victims.

"It saddens me to say that I lost my wife of 32 years, a mother of two, soon to be grandmother of five this evening in the Las Vegas shooting," Tony Burditus wrote. "Denise passed in my arms. I LOVE YOU BABE."

Denise Burditus' Facebook page includes a photo of her and her husband at the same festival last year. Mandalay Bay, the hotel where the gunman opened fire, is shown in the background.

Kind-Hearted Nurse Protected Wife
Sonny Melton, a registered nurse, died in the shooting, according to The Henry County Medical Center in Paris, Tennessee, where he worked.

His wife, Dr. Heather Melton, an orthopedic surgeon who was with him when shots were fired, survived, the medical center said.

Heather Melton told WZTV in Nashville, Tennessee that her husband "saved my life and lost his." She says her husband was the most kind-hearted, loving man she ever met.

Friend Jeremy Butler told the Paris (Tennessee) Post-Intelligencer that Melton was shielding Heather Melton from gunfire when he was fatally shot.

'Woman Of Strong Faith' Is Recovering
Danae Gibbs has always been a huge fan of country music concerts, said her friend, Jennifer Draper of Cedar Park, Texas, and she was thrilled to be at the concert.

Draper wrote in an email to The Associated Press that Gibbs, 23, who recently graduated from Texas Tech University of Lubbock, was shot at the concert in Las Vegas and is recovering.

Draper started a GoFundMe page to help Gibbs and her family with the medical expenses. On the page is a photo of Gibbs wearing a graduation cap and red Converse sneakers, jumping in the air with a huge smile in front of her university.

"Danae is a strong young woman and I firmly believe she will make it through this long road to recovery!" Draper wrote. "She is a woman of strong Faith and has hundreds of people praying for her! We love Danae and cannot wait to see her!"

Real Estate Agent Was Shot Repeatedly But Survived
Real estate agent and father of three older children Rob McIntosh, 52, of North Pole, Alaska, was near the front of the stage with friends when the shooting began, according to friend and real estate broker Mike Vansickle. He was hit repeatedly but survived, Vansickle said.

"From just getting off the phone with the family, he took three bullets to his body," said Vansickle. "He just came out of surgery, and he's going to make it."

In a personal note on his real estate website, McIntosh describes himself as enjoying the outdoors in Alaska, where he also operates a business called Santa's Fireworks.

"Whether I'm fishing, snow machining, hunting, steel welding or building my own home or cabin; I stay active all year round," McIntosh wrote.

Vansickle described McIntosh as being strong.

"He's been though lots of adversity," said Vansickle. "He'll get through all this and come out with some stories to tell."

High School Secretary Remembered As Loving Sincere
Lisa Romero, a high school secretary from Gallup, New Mexico, was an "incredible loving and sincere friend, mentor and advocate for students," the Gallup-McKinley County Public Schools interim superintendent said Monday.

District officials confirmed to reporters on Monday that Romero, 48, died sometime after a 64-year-old man fired multiple weapons.

"Last night during the mass shooting in Las Vegas we lost one of our staff members," interim superintendent Mike Hyatt wrote to employees. "Lisa Romero, discipline secretary at Miyamura (High School), was a victim in the shooting. Our prayers go out to her family during this tragic time."

Survivors included Romero-Muniz's husband, children and grandchildren, Hyatt said. Officials announced a candlelight vigil in honor of Romero-Muniz set for Monday night.

Canadian Mother, Mechanic's Apprentice Among Those Killed
Two Canadians - a mother of four and a man just days from his 24th birthday - were among those killed in the shooting.

Jessica Klymchuk, of Valleyview, Alberta, and Jordan McIldoon, 23, of Maple Ridge, British Columbia, died Sunday night in Las Vegas.

Klymchuk, 28, was an educational assistant, librarian and bus driver for St. Stephen's School, said the Holy Family Catholic Regional Division.

"The scope of this tragedy is worldwide, and we are feeling its impact here at home," the division's superintendent, Betty Turpin, said in a statement.

A post on Klymchuk's Facebook page says she got engaged in April, and was in Vegas with her fianc?.

British Columbia Premier John Horgan said in a statement that Mclldoon, a mechanic's apprentice, was among those killed.

"We only had one child," Al and Angela McIldoon, told the CBC. "We just don't know what to do."

Horgan offered condolences and says flags will be dropped to half-staff on the province's Parliament buildings and on government buildings in Maple Ridge.

School District Employee 'was Always Smiling'
Susan Smith, 53, a resident of Simi Valley, California, near Los Angeles, had worked for the local school district since 2001 as the office manager at Vista Elementary School.

"Susan was wonderful with the kids and the staff and was an integral part of the school community here," said Jake Finch, the public information officer for the district. "She was the hub of everything that happened at the school. If a kid is sick, she's the one calling the parents and no matter how chaotic things got here, she was always smiling."

Finch said the school district learned about Smith's death from friends who had been with her at the music festival. She said when teachers and other staff members in the district and at the school arrived early Monday morning, most of them had not yet heard that Smith was among those who were killed.

She said counselors were dispatched to the school to talk to both staff members and students and when students were told, they took part in activities such as writing letters and making cards for Smith.

"It doesn't sound like much but it gives kids something to latch on to, to make sure they felt like they were able to help in some way," she said.

She said Smith was married with two adult children, adding that Smith's love for country music was well-known.

California Officer, His Girlfriend Injured
A four-year veteran of the Ontario, California, police department was shot in the head during Sunday's shooting, Ontario Police Sgt. Jeff Higbee said.

Officer Michael Gracia was injured, as was his girlfriend.

"He's always real personable, upbeat, a real friendly guy," Higbee said.