When Jeff Poole received the call that his 31-year-old daughter had died in what would become the largest mass shooting in U.S. history, he didn’t want to believe she was gone.
Keri Lynn Galvan, of Thousand Oaks, California, had attended the 2017 Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas. Though she missed her three children dearly, she chose to stay for the final day of the concert, hoping to see Jason Aldean’s performance. When her father saw the news that someone had opened fire into the festival grounds, Poole prayed that his firstborn had gotten away.
But that’s not what happened, Poole said. Eight years later, he paid tribute to Galvan during a sunrise ceremony for her and the 59 others killed. He recalled his daughter’s bravery, her passion for singing — despite, he said, her inability to carry a tune — and her dedication to her family.
