By Eleftherios Pissalidis
NEW YORK – Savannah Sanchez, a parishioner of the St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Tucson, AZ was the only Greek Orthodox victim critically hurt according to sources in the area. Fr. Demetrios-Earl Cantos of St. Demetrios informed TNH that Savannah was attending the last day of the Route 91 Harvest Festival with her family when she was critically shot in the abdomen by the now-notorious 64-year-old gunman Stephen Paddock and remains on life support after two consecutive surgeries.
Savannah is in her early 20’s. Savannah’s mother and her 3 sisters were all baptized Greek Orthodox through catechism and are all members of St. Demetrios parish. Savannah was in the last stages of her catechism and was almost ready to be baptized too. Fr. Cantos said that when he visited her in the hospital this morning, she was able to communicate only through her eyes and by grasping his hand.
Fr. John Hondros of St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church in Las Vegas talked to TNH about the deadly shooting. He confirmed that “kids, teachers, and young adults were there that night and experienced a war zone. Only through God’s grace did they get out of it alive, but still they had friends and acquaintances that got hurt and others that didn’t make it out, so it is very traumatic for them.” It was Fr. Hondros that informed TNH about Savannah. “She is in the hospital now. I saw her this morning. She was shot in the abdomen and has had two procedures already. People who got shot are dying in hospitals. The place was like a war zone, it’s the only way I can explain it. Like a war zone. The guy wanted to kill. They found something like 23 rifles in his room. It is diabolical. It is terrible.” He continued, “It is hard to believe that this happened in this day and age when security is so tough at the airports and under the radar; really hard to believe. We have to go on with our lives, though, and be more vigilant, that’s all,”
When responding to our questions about controlling gun ownership, Fr. Hondros does not know if it is possible. “This is the law of the west, I don’t see that happening here. People want to have guns for protection. Even in our churches we have to have security plans in place. Unfortunately, these are just the times we live in,” he stated.
Paddock is responsible for the execution-style shooting of 59 people (confirmed dead) and more than 520 wounded from atop of his 32th floor room window at the Mandalay Bay on Sunday. Paddock turned his guns towards a crowd of more than 22,000 concertgoers and country music fans. He died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. According to news sources, Las Vegas Police found at least 23 different weapons that were lying all around his hotel room, including multiple rifles mounted on tripods, 19 guns in his house, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and broken windows. His car remained parked with the hotel Mandalay Bay valet, Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said Monday night. Several pounds of ammonium nitrate, a material used to make explosives, were found in Paddock’s car. Paddock was recognized as a high-stakes gambler and a speculator by all of the casinos in Nevada.
Paddock checked into a suite at the Mandalay Bay Resort on Thursday. Shortly after 10 p.m. on Sunday night, from his window on the 32nd floor of the hotel, he used his assault rifle to execute 59 innocent people and bring more than 520 to serious and/or critical condition.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday called Mr. Paddock “a sick man, a demented man, and added that “we are dealing with a very, very sick individual.”
Fr. Hondros echoed what we are all thinking when he said “the unthinkable happened. It will take a long time to mourn and process the fact of what happened.”
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