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Dee Jay Silver was onstage with Jason Aldean in Las Vegas Sunday night just moments before a gunman opened fire on the crowd at the Route 91 Harvest Festival, leaving 59 dead and about 500 injured. The DJ and recording artist, whose real name is John Perdue, was walking offstage to find his wife Jenna when the shooting began and ran to a nearby tour bus for safety. That’s when he discovered that his son, 1-year-old Wake, was with his wife’s aunt on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort, just a few rooms – and a few hundred feet – away from the shooter, Stephen Paddock.
With the keys accessing the rooms on that floor deactivated, SWAT officers kicked the door in, grabbed the baby and ran out. “The whole time I knew this, but I couldn’t tell my wife because she would have been [scared],” he told ET Online. After taking time to process the events of the past couple of days, Silver has now released an official statement:
“The last couple days have been extremely rough and filled with every emotion imaginable. I’m still trying to process what happened and how someone could do this in Las Vegas, a city I call my second home, and at a music festival, a place that brings so much happiness and joy to thousands from all over.
“What I do know is that we as Americans are strong people, good people, hard-working people and in times of need, we have each other’s backs! There is too much division in this country and we must come together, unite, and live as one nation. As a new father trying to raise a son in this world, I pray for change; a change that must start today!
“My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by this cowardly act. Nothing I can say will help with the pain, just please know that you’re in every thought and prayer. We will get through this together. I also need to give special thanks to the first responders, police and all who helped get my family together to safety. We are beyond grateful and lucky.”
He concluded the statement with an impassioned plea for unity, writing: “It’s time to stop the hate, set aside any differences that we may have and come together as Americans! It’s time we come together as one!”
On Tuesday, the performer’s wife posted a photo of Wake on Instagram, with a similar message and the closing line: “It’s time to just love each other.”
