An Illinois man known for honoring the victims of mass shootings around the country brought 58 crosses to the Las Vegas Strip to honor the victims of last weekend’s shooting, WGN reported.
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Greg Zanis, 66, a retired carpenter from the Chicago suburb of Aurora, made the 58 crosses for the victims and placed them in front of the Welcome to Las Vegas sign, KABC reported.
He previously made crosses for the Pulse Nightclub shooting victims in Orlando, Florida, and for gun violence victims in Chicago. He also erected crosses after the Columbine and Sandy Hook school shootings. He has built more than 20,000 crosses in 20 years.
“This row of crosses will show the severity of what really happened there. More so than numbers and pictures in the paper,” Zanis told WGN before driving the 1,800 miles to Las Vegas.
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Each cross had a heart attached, and Zanis also brought Stars of David for Jewish victims. He wrote the names and glued pictures of the victims on each one when available, WGN reported.
Zanis said he sympathizes with the families of the victims because recalls the pain of personal tragedy, KABC reported. His father-in-law was murdered 20 years ago.
"That just changed my life," Zanis told The New York Times. "My first cross was for somebody that I loved. And when I put up these crosses here, I always think of my personal loss here too. Always."
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