Country singer Jake Owen was among the witnesses to the Las Vegas concert shooting on Sunday night. After letting fans know he was safe on Twitter, Owen spoke with CBS News and Fox News to describe the harrowing moments after Stephen Paddock opened fire.
Like many other witnesses, Owen thought the gunshots sounded like firecrackers.
“When the shots started being fired, at first I thought it was pyrotechnics,” Owen told Fox News Monday morning. But when he heard the bullets ricocheting off the stage, he “noticed people literally being shot.”
Owen, who performed just before Jason Aldean, added, “It was pretty chaotic” and felt like a “bad movie.” But he said it was a “miracle” that more people weren’t hurt.
“It was a perfect angle. You have a sea full of people out there and a guy that sounded like a fully automatic rifle. There was no chance for a lot of people to get out of the way,” Owen explained to Fox News.
Owen also spoke with CBS News. He insisted that he would not let this tragedy would not stop him from touring or performing for his fans.
“My plans are to go home and kiss my little girl and thank God that I’m able to do that,” Singer Jake Owen, who witnessed the shooting, says
Owen tweeted throughout the ordeal. “Gun shots!!! Vegas. Pray to god. Love you guys. Love you Pearl,” Owen wrote, referring to his daughter Olivia Pearl. “Praying for everyone here in Vegas. I witnessed the most unimaginable event tonight. We are okay. Others [aren’t]. Please pray. Gun shots were ringing off of the stage rigging and road cases. No one knew where to go..thank you LVPD and responders for keeping us safe.”
“We put on concerts to take people away from the day-to-day life, to bring them to a happy place and this isn’t by any means what’s supposed to happen at these things,” Owen told Fox News. “I think us, as a community, aren’t going to let this bring us down either. We’re going to continue to do what we do… because this isn’t what our America is supposed to be like. We’ve got to fix this.”
Paddock, 64, fired from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, near the Route 91 Harvest Festival, where over 22,000 people were gathered. At least 50 people were killed and 400 injured, making it the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. Paddock was killed after a police SWAT team entered his room.
“Tonight has been beyond horrific,” Aldean, who was the last performer of the night, wrote on Instagram. “I still dont know what to say but wanted to let everyone know that Me and my Crew are safe. My Thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved tonight. It hurts my heart that this would happen to anyone who was just coming out to enjoy what should have been a fun night.”
