59 people are dead and 527 injured after a gunman opened fire at a crowd of country music fans on the Las Vegas strip
Five months ago, Christopher Willemse was down on one knee at one of New Zealand's most picturesque spots, proposing to the love of his life.
This week he held her as she lay dying, gunned down while the pair should have been enjoying a music festival in Las Vegas.
TodayWillemse shares his love story with the Herald, paying tribute to his slain fiancee Sandy Casey, who was one of at least 59 people killed in the worst mass shooting in US history.
Casey was killed when gunman Stephen Paddock, 64, opened fire on a crowd of more than 22,000 people attending the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas on Monday afternoon (NZ time).
The last photograph Willemse posted of his fiancee before she was gunned down in Las Vegas in the worst mass shooting in US history. Photo / Facebook
Paddock, a high-stakes gambler who kept to himself, had holed himself up in a room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort in the famous Nevada casino city.
He had a cache of guns and used them to kill the 59 and wound more than 525 others.
Police found 23 guns in his hotel room and another 19 at his home. He had modified two of them with a "bump stock", which in effect converted the semiautomatic firearms into fully automatic ones.
Casey and Willemse were at the festival with friends and near the stage when the gunfire started.
The 35-year-old was hit in the lower back and died moments later in Willemse's arms.
He tried to save her, sticking his finger into her gunshot wound to try stem the bleeding.
Then, he picked her up and started to carry her - dodging bullets as he attempted to get her to safety.
The Washington Post reported that when Casey stopped responding, Willemse said "I love you" and told her that she was "amazing".
Willemse later spoke to the Herald about his ordeal.
"The last moments were tough but she was strong and amazing as she always has been," he said.
"As far as coping goes, I believe I'm still in shock and haven't fully grasped the effect this tragedy will have on her family, my family ..."
Sandy Casey and Christopher Willemse at Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland. Photo / Facebook
Casey grew up in the town of Dorset, Vermont, and obtained her Bachelor's and Master's degrees at the College of St Joseph in Rutland, about an hour away.
For the last nine years she worked as a special education teacher at Manhattan Beach Middle School, in California.
Seven years ago she met Willemse, 32, when he joined the school staff as a behavioral therapist.
They were planning on getting married on August 2, 2020.
Willemse and Casey share a drink in happier times. Photo / Facebook
They had been scoping out wedding venues and were excited about spending the rest of their lives together.
"Sandy was a true bright spot in this world that will now forever watch over her family and friends for the rest of our time down here," Willemse said.
He earlier told the Washington Post that Casey was "a kind soul".
"She was full of life and loved to live it," he said.
"She made everybody smile, she was an excellent teacher and loved the kids she taught.
"Everyone who meets her never forgets her."
After news of Casey's death started to spread her heartbroken fiance paid tribute to her on Facebook.
"As I sit and mourn such a beautiful life gone too fast, all I can say is look up and watch the birds fly high and free today as that's where I feel you smiling down upon all of us," Willemse wrote.
He thanked his family and friends for their "love and support" during "these trying times" and said it showed "how important this wonderful woman truly was".
"She lived life to the fullest and made me the happiest man in the world," he wrote.
A fundraising page has been set up to help Casey's family cover her funeral expenses.
