Vegas Strong: Parents Who Survived Route 91 Festival Share Powerful Photo of Newborn Baby
A new survivor has emerged following the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas.
Markie Coffer and Travis Matheson welcomed their newborn son, Wyatt, on Oct. 3 — just two days after the Route 91 shooting. Coffer and Matheson had attended the festival and were there when a gunman opened fire on the crowd on Oct. 1, during Jason Aldean's headlining set.
MBF Photography in Las Vegas published a photo and short story about Wyatt on its Facebook page, labeling the newborn as a "Vegas Strong baby" and a beacon of hope after the tragic Route 91 event.
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In an interview with Fox 5 Las Vegas, it's noted that Coffer and Matheson went all three nights to festival, even bringing their three other children on Sept. 30. The following night they returned, along with Matheson's brother, Cody.
Travis Matheson — who served as a specialist in the U.S. Army — opened up about the experience, recalling to Fox 5: "Told her we gotta get to safety. We've gotta find somewhere to hide because just standing there is not good. We're out in the open."
The three escaped the chaos via army crawl, though Cody suffered a gunshot wound to the shoulder. He is expected to make a full recovery. Nonetheless, the couple's 9 lb., 7 oz., newborn is a ray of light in the dark cloud that has loomed over Route 91.
"He's been unique since the beginning," Coffer says. "Definitely thankful that nothing happened worse to either one of us where we couldn't be here for him."
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