Thousands of items left behind during Las Vegas Strip shooting
By Jessie Bekker Las Vegas Review-Journal
John Steinbeck, deputy chief for the Clark County Fire Department, discusses new details on obtaining personal property and mental health care issues surrounding the Route 91 Festival mass shooting, at the old Riviera hotel-casino site on Las Vegas Boulevard near Elvis Presley Boulevard in Las Vegas, Monday, Oct. 9, 2017. Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal
Dr. Tom Hlenski, lead disaster mental health work at the Family Assistance Center for the American Red Cross, discusses mental health care issues surrounding the Route 91 Festival mass shooting, at the old Riviera hotel-casino site on Las Vegas Boulevard near Elvis Presley Boulevard in Las Vegas, Monday, Oct. 9, 2017. Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal
John Steinbeck, deputy chief for the Clark County Fire Department, discusses new details on obtaining personal property and mental health care issues surrounding the Route 91 Festival mass shooting, at the old Riviera hotel-casino site on Las Vegas Boulevard near Elvis Presley Boulevard in Las Vegas, Monday, Oct. 9, 2017. Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal
Certified facility dogs with their handlers attend a press conference addressing personal property and mental health care issues surrounding the Route 91 Festival mass shooting, at the old Riviera hotel-casino site on Las Vegas Boulevard near Elvis Presley Boulevard in Las Vegas, Monday, Oct. 9, 2017. Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal
One of several certified facility dog with their handlers attending a press conference addressing personal property and mental health care issues surrounding the Route 91 Festival mass shooting, at the old Riviera hotel-casino site on Las Vegas Boulevard near Elvis Presley Boulevard in Las Vegas, Monday, Oct. 9, 2017. Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal
Certified facility dogs with their handlers attend a press conference addressing personal property and mental health care issues surrounding the Route 91 Festival mass shooting, at the old Riviera hotel-casino site on Las Vegas Boulevard near Elvis Presley Boulevard in Las Vegas, Monday, Oct. 9, 2017. Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal
John Steinbeck, deputy chief for the Clark County Fire Department, discusses new details on obtaining personal property and mental health care issues surrounding the Route 91 Festival mass shooting, at the old Riviera hotel-casino site on Las Vegas Boulevard near Elvis Presley Boulevard in Las Vegas, Monday, Oct. 9, 2017. Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal
Certified facility dogs with their handlers attend a press conference addressing personal property and mental health care issues surrounding the Route 91 Festival mass shooting, at the old Riviera hotel-casino site on Las Vegas Boulevard near Elvis Presley Boulevard in Las Vegas, Monday, Oct. 9, 2017. Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal
Certified facility dogs with their handlers attend a press conference addressing personal property and mental health care issues surrounding the Route 91 Festival mass shooting, at the old Riviera hotel-casino site on Las Vegas Boulevard near Elvis Presley Boulevard in Las Vegas, Monday, Oct. 9, 2017. Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal
Certified facility dogs with their handlers attend a press conference addressing personal property and mental health care issues surrounding the Route 91 Festival mass shooting, at the old Riviera hotel-casino site on Las Vegas Boulevard near Elvis Presley Boulevard in Las Vegas, Monday, Oct. 9, 2017. Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal
Rosanna Figueroa, victim advocate from the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, with her certified facility dog, following a press conference addressing personal property and mental health care issues surrounding the Route 91 Festival mass shooting, at the old Riviera hotel-casino site on Las Vegas Boulevard near Elvis Presley Boulevard in Las Vegas, Monday, Oct. 9, 2017. Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal
A woman leaves the Family Assistance Center at the Las Vegas Convention Center where survivors of last week’s deadly Las Vegas shooting retrieve their belongings, Monday, Oct. 9, 2017. Bizuayehu Tesfaye Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye
People arrive at the Family Assistance Center at the Las Vegas Convention Center where survivors of last week’s deadly Las Vegas shooting retrieve their belongings, Monday, Oct. 9, 2017. Bizuayehu Tesfaye Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye
People leave the Family Assistance Center at the Las Vegas Convention Center where survivors of last week’s deadly Las Vegas shooting retrieve their belongings, Monday, Oct. 9, 2017. Bizuayehu Tesfaye Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye
People arrive at the Family Assistance Center at the Las Vegas Convention Center where survivors of last week’s deadly Las Vegas shooting retrieve their belongings, Monday, Oct. 9, 2017. Bizuayehu Tesfaye Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye
People leave the Family Assistance Center at the Las Vegas Convention Center where survivors of last week’s deadly Las Vegas shooting retrieve their belongings, Monday, Oct. 9, 2017. Bizuayehu Tesfaye Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye
People arrive at the Family Assistance Center at the Las Vegas Convention Center where survivors of last week’s deadly Las Vegas shooting retrieve their belongings, Monday, Oct. 9, 2017. Bizuayehu Tesfaye Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye
A woman arrives at the Family Assistance Center at the Las Vegas Convention Center where survivors of last week’s deadly Las Vegas shooting retrieve their belongings, Monday, Oct. 9, 2017. Bizuayehu Tesfaye Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye
Las Vegas police cars guard the Route 91 Harvest Festival grounds in Las Vegas on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2017, while the FBI collects belongings left by those who attended the festival the night of the shooting. (Elizabeth Brumley/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @EliPagePhoto
The Family Assistance Center has gathered more than 10,000 items — from bags, to phones, to clothing — from two areas closest to the Route 91 Harvest festival concert stage.
Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo said at a news briefing Monday that the size of the pile so far, with only two sections cleared, underscores the chaos that erupted on Oct. 1 when a shooter opened fire, killing 58 and wounding nearly 500 before taking his own life.
“Even though we have been talking about the numbers of people who attended the concert, and the number of victims injured or killed, you really don’t understand the magnitude until you see the rows and tables of personal belongings that (were) left behind as the people fled the venue,” he said.
Clark County Fire Department Deputy Chief John Steinbeck said at an earlier news conference Monday that the center has returned lost items to at least 99 people since it began the retrieval process Sunday.
The concert area has been divided into six sections to manage the scene. Sections A was processed Sunday, section B completed on Monday, Steinbeck said.
There was no estimate on when the next area would be cleared.
Bringing photographs of lost items, if available, can help in the retrieval process, Steinbeck said.
Those who were visiting Las Vegas when the shooting occurred and have since returned home can fill out a form on the FBI’s website.
The FBI also is coordinating with its California offices to ship items to their locations. Of the 22,000 Route 91 concertgoers, about half were from California, Steinbeck said.
The center also is offering legal aid; mental health resources, including therapy dogs; and assistance with travel and lodging.
