Sonny Melton, an RN at Paris, Tenn.-based Henry County Medical Center, was killed Sunday evening after Stephen Paddock, 64, fired at a crowd of 22,000-plus people attending the Route 91 Harvest Festival. The gunman fired from his room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas.
Mr. Melton reportedly died while protecting his wife, Heather Melton, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at HCMC, who survived the incident.
“[Mr. Melton] saved my life. He grabbed me and started running when I felt him get shot in the back,” Dr. Melton told WSMV-4 News. “I want everyone to know what a kind-hearted, loving man he was, but at this point, I can barely breathe.”
HCMC CEO Thomas Gee said in a statement, “The thoughts and prayers of the entire HCMC family are with Sonny and Heather’s families.”
Police also released the identity of a second victim, Sandy Casey, a special education teacher from Manhattan Beach, Calif., according to ABC News. At least 515 people were injured during the shooting.
Authorities said Mr. Paddock’s motive for the shooting is unclear. Officials said Oct. 2 they have not discovered a connection between the shooting and any international terrorist group, according to ABC News.
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