NORTHEAST WISCONSIN (WTAQ-WLUK) – The aftermath of tragedy, piles of belongings left behind by Las Vegas concertgoers, as they ran for their lives.
“She didn’t realize that she had taken off her boots to get over the fence,” shared Julie Neubert, of the Fox Cities Victim Crisis Response team.
Neubert relays what one volunteer with the team encountered, as she worked side by side with first-responders. “She said every starch, every dent on those cowboy boots, told a story.”
Neubert says the response team provides emotional support to victims in crisis.
“For the past 20 years, we’ve been helping the police departments, when they respond to the scene, and see that they’re victims in need.”
The volunteer group partners with up to 12 different police agencies in the Fox Valley.
She says similar to Las Vegas, they have been called upon to assist in other crises outside the area.
Nuebert explained, volunteers have been on scene at tragedies like the deadly shooting near Wausau earlier this year.
Given the severity of the Las Vegas shooting, she says they offered their services.
“The Nevada Attorney General did indeed need assistance, that’s why were called out there.”
Their volunteer on the scene says most of the returning victims just need a listening ear.
“They just wanted to tell their story, and they just want to rehash some of the things they were feeling that night.”
Stories, she says helps bring a little closure, like returning a pair of left behind cowboy boots.
“The next day they called her, and said hey we have your boots, she was so thrilled.”
