The Las Vegas mass shooting has impacted many Kern County residents. The Route 91 festival, being close to Kern County, attracted many. A happy weekend of music and fun, turned into disaster.
Janie Scott, mother of 6, was one of those attendees. Janie was rocking out to Jason Aldean with her husband John and friend Tawny James. She recalls the night as "the most horrifying thing you can imagine." When the shots rang out, Janie saw a young woman get shot in the head only 10 feet away. Those around her came together to help each other.
Janie says men broke down a fence nearby in order for them all to jump over and run. From a post on Facebook, we see photos of blood splatter across her clothes. Janie says this is not her blood, it belongs to someone else. Janie's husband John shielded her, Tawny, and others as they ran for safety. She says, "The girl who died in front of me will never leave my mind. Pray for Vegas. Pray for everyone that was there. I am just heartbroken."
I spoke with Janie on Tuesday about how it felt to survive this mass shooting. She says, "We are not doing well. We are mentally hurting."
Janie says they are afraid to go out in public and are not able to sleep. She thinks others who survived this attack are probably feeling the same. "I want to hug the people who were there because they will understand the type of hug I'm giving because I was also there," says Janie.
Janie wants to spread the word to other survivors of this tragedy and let them know that they are not alone. Janie, John, and Tawny all are struggling after Sunday's attack.
"I don't have strength today. I barely have enough strength to get my own children to school. They were devastated not knowing if their parents and family were still alive," says Janie.
She hopes somehow Kern County can come together and help each other get through this tragic event that impacted so many and killed 5 people connected to Kern County.
