A trucker from Sacramento lost his life in the tragic Sunday night shooting rampage in Las Vegas — but not before he helped to save the lives of his family members, according to his sister.
Trucking Company Owner Among The 58 Mass Shooting Victims
At 10 p.m. on Sunday night, Stephen Paddock opened fire on concertgoers at the Route 91 Harvest country music show from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay, ultimately killing 58 people and injuring hundreds more before he ended his own life.
Fifty-five year old Sacramento-based truck driver Kurt von Tillow, owner of Von Tillow Trucking, was in attendance at the festival. He was fatally wounded by the shooter, but his sister Dee Ann Hyatt says that von Tillow saved the lives of her family members by tipping them off when the shooting spree began.
“My Brother Saved Our Lives Basically”
According to Hyatt: “My brother saved our lives basically. He took a bullet. Because of him we got on the ground and stayed there.”
Hyatt and her daughter Araina Hyatt were both injured in the shooting but are expected to survive. Von Tillow’s wife, daughter, and son-in-law were also in attendance at the music fest, but escaped unharmed.
Ariana Hyatt also commended the bravery of von Tillow’s actions: “My uncle was a hero. He died doing what he loved to do, which was listening to country music and being with his family.”
Von Tillow was in Las Vegas for a family reunion when the shooting occurred.
Von Tillow was a respected and well-liked member of the community and has been memorialized by friends and family.