ABC/Image Group LAOctober 1 marks a somber anniversary for the country community. On this date in 2017, a mass shooting took place at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, killing 60 people and injuring over 800 more.

The massacre began when 64-year-old Stephen Paddock opened fire on the crowd, which was gathered on the Las Vegas strip, from his window on the 32nd floor of the nearby Mandalay Bay Hotel. At the time, Jason Aldean was performing his headlining set, near the end of a three-day bill that also included Eric Church, Sam Hunt, Maren Morris and more.

On the three-year anniversary of the massacre, Jason’s wife, Brittany, who was at the festival and eight months pregnant at the time with her son, Memphis, spoke out in remembrance of the shooting and those who lost their lives.

“On one hand it seems like an eternity ago, a nightmare you try to forget. On the other hand, its vividness makes it seem like it was yesterday,” Brittany wrote on social media. “…The sound, the chaos, the overwhelming sadness and heartache…it’s something that never leaves you.”

She went on to offer her thoughts and condolences to those who lost loved ones at the shooting.

“We are thinking of each and every one of you today and every day,” she added. “And to the men and women who ran towards the bullets to protect all of us…WE ARE FOREVER GRATEFUL.”

By Carena Liptak
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