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CHANDLER, Ariz. (KSAZ) - Considering the relatively close distance between Phoenix and Las Vegas, it is not a surprise that a numbver of Arizonans were at the concert in Las Vegas, when the mass shooting took place.
A mother in Chandler was at the concert with several friends, when bullets started flying, and one of her friends was wounded by gunfire.
Janny Copeland and several friends had three-day passes to concert. Noble Atkins, along with his wife, Lauren, were jamming to country singer Jason Aldean on Sunday.
Moments later, they would be diving for cover, in a hail of bullets.
Atkins was hit in the arm by gunfire, and currently, he's in a valley hospital recovering from a gunshot wound. Atkins' wife is by his side.
Copeland, who took a video of her friends, said they are all still traumatized by what unfolded at the concert that night.
"I sent my husband a text that said, 'there's a shooter here. I love you so much. Please pray'," Copeland recounted. "'I've never been so scared in my life. Please call me.'"
Copeland said it took more than two hours for them to make their way from the front of the stage to safety, stumbling through what looked like a war zone. Copeland's arms and legs are scraped and bruised.
Atkins was treated at a medical center in Las Vegas, and the three drove home to Phoenix Monday morning, and Atkins was taken straight to a hospital in Mesa.
"He's had one surgery. There's major damage to his main nerve and ulnar artery, and he's going to need at least once more surgery tomorrow," said Copeland. She said the incident has shaken them all profoundly.
"I made bacon this morning. It smelled different," said Copeland. "My house looks different. It's just weird to describe that you felt you should have died, and you didn't."
GoFundMe for Lauren and Noble Atkins
https://www.gofundme.com/lauren-noble-atkins