Scott Mosher was sitting in his hotel room on the Strip in tears Wednesday afternoon.
The Colorado resident, who was born and raised in Las Vegas, had been watching on social media as reports of an active shooter at UNLV flooded his feed.
He immediately wanted to help, and moved to get cases of water, blankets and other necessities that those affected could use. But police weren’t allowing people on campus, so Mosher decided to do the next best thing.
From his hotel room, Mosher set up a GoFundMe fundraiser and put plans in motion for his mental health organization — Purple Mountain Recovery in Colorado Springs, Colo. — to help. The group is a nonprofit for LGBTQIA+ people living with mental illness or addiction.
Mosher was born in Las Vegas — just like his grandmother, mother, daughter and great-niece — and grew up frequenting the area near UNLV.
“I can’t go down with water and make sure everybody’s OK, and (with) blankets and just sit there in silence with them, so let’s get them the money they need,” Mosher said. “I was like right then and there, we need to figure out a way to get this money to people that need it now.”
Dealing with the aftermath of active-shooter deaths is something Mosher is unfortunately familiar with.
Although he wasn’t in Las Vegas during the Oct. 1, 2017, mass shooting on the Strip which left 58 people dead that night and around 800 injured, his partner was driving for Uber and had concertgoers jumping into his car to escape the carnage.
And in his new home of Colorado Springs, a shooting that started on the night of Nov. 19, 2022, at the Club Q nightclub, left five dead before the shooter was subdued by patrons and arrested by police. The shooter, Anderson Lee Aldrich, was sentenced to life in prison in June.
Purple Mountain Recovery has raised thousands of dollars for groups supporting those affected by the Club Q shooting.
“We’ve experienced that same type of incident here last year and we’re deeply involved in it,” Mosher said, referring to the Club Q and UNLV shootings. “We just saw the barriers put in place and I was like, if we can release those barriers … and be like ‘OK, you need this, it’s valid, take it,’ then we are happy to do that.”
Money from the fundraiser will be available for “whoever considers themselves a victim of (the UNLV shooting), whether they were injured or not.” All money from the GoFundMe will go toward affected community members.
Many members of the community are expected to be affected, and Mosher said Purple Mountain Recovery will be there for anyone needing support.
They’re also offering free telehealth services and have people to connect affected individuals with needs such as counseling or food pantries, he said.
“There’s going to be a lot of money raised for the families, but there’s going to be a lot of people left out,” Mosher said. “That’s where we want to step in as the people that are getting left out are being told, ‘Well, you weren’t injured, so you don’t get any of this money.’ ”
Anyone affected and in need of resources can call Purple Mountain Recovery at 719-445-0621 to be scheduled for a meeting with one of the nonprofit’s peer supporters. Financial support from the GoFundMe will be distributed within 30 to 45 days.
Those interested in donating to the GoFundMe established by Mosher can visit gofundme.com/f/unlvstrong2023.
grace.darocha@gmg vegas.com / 702-948-7854 / @gracedarocha