Sharon Kamber and her friend, Miss Universe NT finalist Artia Ratahi, were dining on the Las Vegas Strip close to the country music festival where a gunman shot dead at least 59 people on Sunday night.
The pair, both 21, had just ordered at the Outback Steakhouse, a five-minute drive from the Mandalay Bay hotel, when the restaurant went into lockdown.
“We were stuck in the restaurant for a good three hours, until about 2a.m,”.
“My friend was able to be a lot more calm than I was. I called my parents… half in tears, telling them I loved them.”
More than 527 people were injured in the shooting and Ms Kamber said at the time there were rumours of two more shooters in the area.
“They told us that nothing’s clear but we could leave at our own risk,” she said.
“We were very scared. It was hard not to break down.”
The two-minute walk back to her hotel was “horrifying”, with police lining the deserted strip every few metres.
“It was an eerie feeling - such a lively place was so dead.”
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| Miss Universe Australia 2017 Northern Territory finalist Artia Ratahi who has been caught up in the deadliest mass shooting in US history. |
The Northern Territory promotions worker said it was a “very American” way to end a six-month trip to the US, and she was happy to be flying home.
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| Darwin woman Sharon Kamber (R) and her friend, Miss Universe Australia 2017 Northern Territory finalist Artia Ratahi (AAP) |
“You always see on the news that America has issues with their guns laws, it’s just crazy they’re not doing much about it,” Ms Kamber said.
“I wasn’t too surprised that something like this was happening, which is saddening to say.”