Hundreds remember Placentia woman killed in Las Vegas shooting
PLACENTIA, Calif. (KABC) -- Hundreds of people attended a candlelight vigil in Placentia on Sunday for Orange County woman Nicol Kimura, one of dozens killed in the Las Vegas mass shooting.
Emotional crowds of people gathered on the field of Sierra Vista Elementary School to share memories of the 38-year-old. She attended the Route 91 Harvest Festival with six other people from Orange County. All six others survived the massacre.
MORE: Southern California victims in Las Vegas mass shooting
Ryan Miller, a friend who was with Kimura that night, said it was her third year attending the festival.
"We want her legacy to live on, and we don't know how to do that. We don't know what to do moving forward, but we know we will not be robbed of the joy that we had, and we will not be robbed of her," he said. "And so, we will continue to allow that memory to live on no matter what."
Many of Kimura's friends considered themselves "framily" - a made up word to describe how intertwined she was in their lives.
Tracy Gyurina remembered the last moments she had with her best friend.
"We were holding each other's hands and on the ground, and shots were flying by us. We were just telling her, 'We got this, baby girl, you're going to be OK,' and I don't know how many times I told her I loved her," she said.
Also at the concert was Chad Elliott, who threw himself on top of Kimura to shield her until a man who identified himself as a doctor stepped in.
"We tried to give her CPR, then he told me there was nothing else we could do, and that I needed to seek safety," Elliott said.
Kimura's father was overwhelmed by the love and support.
"I find in this situation she's made a lot of contacts that were worthwhile, credible people," he said. "It's a reflection on family."
A GoFundMe page has been set up for Kimura's mother and father.
