Merced man who survived Las Vegas massacre says people banded as ‘a big team’

Amid the chaos and calamity at the Las Vegas venue targeted by a gunman during a weekend concert, hundreds of people pulled together to help those around them, according to a Merced man who survived the devastating violence.

People ran from the venue of the Harvest 91 country music festival as hundreds of rounds rained down on an unsuspecting crowd, but many people also stopped to help each other off the ground or to stop bleeding wounds, Matt Haywood said Tuesday.

“You don’t see any of the division when something like this happens. You see somebody pick up a stranger on the ground or ‘Hey, that person’s bleeding. Let’s make sure that they’re OK,’ ” the 34-year-old told the Sun-Star. “It just seemed like everybody was a big team and had the same thought process.”

Stephen Paddock, 64, has been identified by investigators as the gunman who opened fire from inside a 32nd-floor hotel room at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas late Sunday night, killing at least 59 people and injuring more than 500 others who were attending a country music festival on the Las Vegas Strip.

Haywood said he was with friends about 100 yards from the stage where country singer Jason Aldean was performing when gunfire rang out. He said he immediately recognized the sound of gunfire and could see muzzle flash when he looked up towards the sound.

“We got underneath the bleachers and exited the area,” he said. “While we’re running out of the facility, we’re picking up people, helping people that are on the ground.”

A crowd of people had trampled locked fencing, so Haywood and friends followed them out over the flattened fence.

Haywood, who works at the Stage Shop Gun Shop in Atwater, was an officer for 10 years before he got injured. As a school resource officer, he has experience with active-shooter training, he said.

Atwater couple Rich and Lisa Howard also described a chaotic scene. “The shooting just seemed like it was never going to stop,” he told the Sun-Star on Monday.

Haywood and the group made their way to a restaurant, Coco’s Bakery, where the staff allowed them to hole up and mend injuries. Three people inside had been hit by gunfire, he said.

“My story is one of dozens or hundreds out there that nobody knows about,” he said. “I want everybody to know about what type of heroism there was from individuals that weren’t even trained. ... I can’t say enough about the staff of Coco’s. They really stepped up.”

The shooting started after 10 p.m. Sunday, according to authorities. Haywood said his group remained inside the restaurant until first responders were able to get to the wounded at about 3:30 a.m.

The group of friends continues to work to get over the traumatic incident. “Everyone was having a good time,” he said about the concert. “There were no issues at all until this happened.”

This story was originally published October 3, 2017 at 5:06 PM with the headline "Merced man who survived Las Vegas massacre says people banded as ‘a big team’."