At least one Southern Utah University student was injured in Las Vegas last weekend in America’s largest mass shooting, school officials said Tuesday.
While the student recovers in the hospital, university leaders are planning a vigil for Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. on the school’s business quad, said co-chair of SUU’s care and support team Jayci Bash.
“A lot of our students are from Las Vegas and the areas surrounding that,” Bash said. “Our communities are closely tied to each other.”
Information about the shooting and people affected is being released slowly, Bash said. The university is aware of one student recovering in the hospital after being injured in the shooting and multiple employees who were in the city when the tragic incident occurred, she said. Additionally, at least one person from Cedar City, Heather Warino Alvarado, died from injuries suffered in the shooting.
Additionally, a student from Dixie State University, Liz Rinehart, tweeted that she had been hit with a bullet in her leg and is recovering in the hospital. Tweets from her brother, Gary Rinehart, said the bullet was lodged below her knee and her leg was broken, but doctors performed surgery and placed a rod in her leg.
And she's off to get fixed up 🙏🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/mqyVS6X9T1
— TMMT (@garyrinehart3) October 2, 2017
She’s now recovering, Gary Rinehart tweeted.
Dixie State held a vigil Monday night for victims of the shooting.
Bash expects there are at least a few more people affiliated with SUU who were “directly affected by this.”
Though organizers were still finalizing the agenda for Wednesday’s vigil, she said University President Scott Wyatt plans to share some remarks, while counselors will talk about grief and responding to the tragedy.
There will also be some music from students in the university’s music program, Bash said.
Through the vigil, the school hopes to honor victims of the shooting and show support to survivors and loved ones, Bash said.