A woman who survived the Las Vegas shooting nearly a year ago was sworn in to become a police officer, saying the devastating massacre inspired her to want to protect and serve.
Lauren Card, 23, became the newest member of the Springfield Police Department in Oregon on Monday. The department commemorated the happy moment by sharing a video to its Facebook page of Card taking an oath.
‘Congratulations to Officer Card who was sworn in this morning! Welcome!’ the department posted.
Card was with her family members at the Route 91 Harvest Country Music Festival last October when gunman Stephen Paddock opened fire from an upper-story window of the Mandalay Bay hotel killing 59 people and injuring more than 500 others.
Las Vegas shooting survivor Lauren Card was sworn in as the newest member of the Springfield Police Department in Oregon
Card, 23, was sworn in on Monday, 10 months after a gunman opened fire at the Route 91 Harvest Country Music Festival
The shooting is said to be the worst mass murder in modern US history. Paddock died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head as officers stormed the hotel room.
Stephen Paddock was identified as the shooter. 59 people were killed in the shooting
Card told the Register Guardian that she remembers running with other panicked concertgoers to safety and the instant relief she felt when she saw police officers arrive to help.
She said the shooting inspired her to want to protect other people.
‘In that moment, I kind had a sense that, “OK, the police are here. They are going to fix it. They are going to make it better. Everything is going to be OK,” she said. ‘I want to be that person for someone else in that situation.’
Card added: ‘When they’re going through something crappy or going through a hard time, I want them to see me and be like, “OK, she’s going to fix it. She’s going to make it better.”’
Card’s mother Robin Baird, who was also at the music festival, said she’s ‘very proud’ her daughter is trying to turn a horrible incident into something positive.
Card, who was at the festival with her family, said the shooting inspired her to want to become an officer
She said getting shot at will help her during her career as an officer. Card will begin the police academy in Salem in October
‘I want to do something with this, show that you can move on, you’re strong,’ the 23-year-old said
She told the outlet that the family escaped the shooting by hiding under their riser-style VIP suite with other people, and then running toward a fence. Baird said they had to climb the fence and get over a 10-foot brick wall to get to safety.
‘I am very proud of her for becoming an officer and wanting to serve the community, especially after Route 91,’ her mom told the outlet. ‘She works really hard. With her achievements and strengths, I know she’ll be very successful.’
Card said after the shooting she tried to return to her normal life but was having trouble focusing and trying to mentally process what happened.
59 people were killed in the shooting last October and more than 500 others were injured
She said she eventually came to the realization: ‘Yeah, it sucks that it happened. My heart is with the families that weren’t as fortunate as ours. But we made it out, and I don’t want this to affect me in such a negative way and let it ruin my life. I want to do something with this, show that you can move on, you’re strong.’
Springfield police Lt. Scott McKee said he was concerned how Card would react if as a law enforcement officer she was put in a similar situation. Card told him that she ‘knows what it’s like to be shot at’ and she thinks that will help her as an officer.
Card, who graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in kinesiology, will begin the police academy in Salem in October.
Until then she’s training in Springfield and will begin patrolling with another officer next week, the Register Guard reports.