UPDATE AUG. 25: The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department says they will not be changing the official death toll of 1 October after a coroner in California ruled that Kimberly Gervais died of injuries sustained during the shooting.
“She was ready to go abroad and enjoy life and it was snatched from her,” said Dena Sarvela, sister of Gervais.
Sarvela spoke to KPTV in Portland after the passing of her sister last year.
Fast forward to now, the San Bernardino County coroner's office says that the 57-year-old’s death was directly related to being shot at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in 2017.
“She went with two other friends, one walked out, she was in the hospital rendered quadriplegic, and the other one she saw die in front of her,” Sarvela said.
Officials described her cause of death as a direct sequence of events that started with a gunshot wound.
This would mean her death would add one more to the 58 others who were killed.
An email from Las Vegas police to 13 Action News Tuesday said “we will not be adjusting the number for the 1 October shooting fatalities or commenting on the death.”
13 Action News is working to hear back from the attorney representing Gervais with more details on what their next steps are if any.
ORIGINAL STORY
The San Bernardino County Coroner's Office has confirmed that 57-year-old Kimberly Gervais’ death was directly related to being shot at the Route 91 Harvest Festival on October 1, 2017.
Las Vegas Police has not increased the official death toll yet.
She would be the 59th victim of the shooting.
Gervais died in November of 2019, but the coroner's office has just recently labeled her cause of death and describes it as a direct sequence of events that started with a gunshot wound.
RELATED: California woman shot on 1 October passes away
After her death, a tree lighting ceremony took place at the Las Vegas Healing Garden in honor of her memory.
The Vegas Strong Resiliency Center says new details about the shooting can impact a survivor's healing journey.
“It can take them back to the event, and take them back to other traumatic events related to the event,” says Tennille Pereira, Vegas Strong Resiliency Center. “We have seen a common denominator, and that's when new information is released, it does surface in their life.”
Help is available here.
