Families reunite in Saskatoon after escaping Vegas massacre

As the arrival gate swung open at Saskatoon International Airport on Monday night, crying parents emerged to the sound of their delighted children running to hug them.

Trent Campbell and his wife Sheylee wiped away tears as they greeted their family, thankful to be home after narrowly avoiding gunfire at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas the night before.

“We have three young girls and they’re the world to us, it’s such a good feeling to be home,” Campbell said after the embraces.

Emotional family reunions for people arriving in #yxe from Vegas. pic.twitter.com/FvJmd7SlYO

— Chris Vandenbreekel (@Vandecision) October 3, 2017

The 34-year-old Saskatoon man said they had been standing just to the side of the stage when the massacre began.

But just moments before, they were in the middle — where the bullets first landed.

“Sheylee said let’s stand off to the side, I don’t know why,” he said. “Now when we think about it, it could have easily been us.”

Initially the Campbells thought the sound was being made by fireworks or a popping speaker, a thought shared by many other festival-goers.

It wasn’t until they saw two injured men being carried away that they realized how much danger they were in.

“We weren’t thinking, it’s almost like you can’t think, you just react,” he said.

“You just go and hope you don’t get shot along the way.”

After watching the news, Campbell said they realized the path they chose was luckily away from the gunfire.

And part 3. There might be some overlap. Trent said they were initially standing where bullets hit people, but moved shortly before. #yxe pic.twitter.com/BWB1ZRKu6T

— Chris Vandenbreekel (@Vandecision) October 3, 2017

The Campbells were just one family reunited at the arrivals gate Monday night. Dozens of people came home on the direct WestJet flight from Las Vegas, crying as they hugged family members waiting in the lobby.

Several families waiting for their loved ones declined interviews. However, they said they were thankful to have their friends and families back in Saskatoon in one piece.

Some Saskatchewan residents at the festival weren’t as lucky. Two members of a group from the Spiritwood-Leoville area suffered gunshot wounds at the concert.

Leoville’s Carrie-Ann Denis was shot in the foot and is expected to recover, while former Spiritwood resident Ryan Sarrazin remains in critical condition after a bullet struck his upper body.

A GoFundMe account set up for Sarrazin’s medical and travel expenses had reached over $40,000 as of Tuesday morning.

Two Canadians, a B.C. man and Alberta woman were killed in the violence. A third Canadian, a woman from Jasper was reportedly killed according to media.