Rocio Guillen Rocha, a 40-year-old Hispanic mother of four from Southern California, attended the Route 91 Harvest festival in Las Vegas with her fiancé, Chris Jaksha. The trip was an annual tradition for them and their friends. This particular celebration was filled with the joy of new life, as Rocio had given birth to their son, Austin, a mere six weeks before.
Still on maternity leave from her job as an assistant manager at a California Pizza Kitchen, she was balancing the demands of a newborn with her other children, an 18-month-old daughter and two older sons.
On the night of October 1, 2017, as country music filled the air, the festive atmosphere was shattered by the sound of gunfire. A lone gunman, Stephen Paddock, had opened fire on the crowd of 22,000 concertgoers from his 32nd-floor hotel room at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. Amid the chaos and terror, Rocio was struck by a bullet. Despite her injury, she managed to escape the scene with her fiancé. However, her wound proved to be fatal, and she later died at a hospital.
Her death left a void in the lives of many. Friends and family described her as a hardworking and devoted "supermom" who juggled everything to be the best for her four children. Her oldest son remembered her as a "fighter." Raised in Anaheim, she had been an athletic youth, running track and cross country in high school. Her life was a testament to her love for her family, especially her children, whom she considered her greatest accomplishment. The gunman, Stephen Paddock, was found dead in his hotel room from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, leaving behind a nation to mourn the 58 lives, including Rocio's, that were tragically cut short.
