A gunman opened fire at an outdoor concert in Las Vegas killing 59 people and injuring hundreds more. One of the victims was Danae Gibbs, a recent graduate of Texas Tech.
“It was terrifying because all I knew was that she was shot,” said Danae’s close friend Ryan Reichard. “We didn’t know anything about her status, whether she was okay, or she was alive.”
Danae Gibbs was shot twice and was rushed to emergency surgery. Her friends found out on social media.
“Then I realized it (she) was in Vegas and I was immediately like ‘Oh my gosh, Danae is there,'” said Danae’s “little” in her sorority, Abby Pursley. “I didn’t sleep at night. You hear about it over and over about these different shootings but when it’s actually happens to you, it’s a completely different reaction.”
According to her friends, Gibbs is out of surgery and is resting at a hospital in Las Vegas. But they all mentioned that after finding out Danae is okay, what’s on their minds is the fact that this time a mass shooting directly impacted them.
“I never thought anything like that would happen so close to me,” said Kaymi Franco, a longtime friend of Danae’s. “It’s just ‘wow.’ I don’t even know what to say, that’s how crazy this all is.”
“You hear about these tragedies all the time and you see them on the news but it’s always other people,” said Reichard. “This time it hits home. It was a friend, it was a person who I consider a close friend.”
A GoFundMe was set up to help with Danae’s medical costs.
CLICK HERE for Danae’s GoFundMe.