Advertisement

Friends and family of Vegas shooting victim Jordan McIldoon ride on in his honour

Click to play video: 'Memorial ride for Las Vegas victim'
Memorial ride for Las Vegas victim
WATCH: Friends honoured the memory of Jordan McIldoon, who loved diesel trucks and motorcycles, with a memorial ride Saturday morning. The 23-year-old from Maple Ridge was killed in last Sunday’s mass shooting. Nadia Stewart reports – Oct 7, 2017

Right up until the day he died, Jordan McIldoon loved country music, trucks and motorcycles.

So it was only fitting that friends and family of the 23-year-old from Maple Ridge, who was killed in the deadly mass shooting in Las Vegas last Sunday, would turn to those three things to honour his memory.

On Saturday, dozens of well-wishers came together for the Jordy Mac Memorial Cruise, filling the air with the loud sounds of diesel engines and twangy guitars as they headed from Langley, down Lougheed Highway to Harrison Lake, and back again.

25-year-old Jordan McIldoon is the first Canadian publicly identified as someone killed in what is now known to be the worst mass shooting in US history.
23-year-old Jordan McIldoon was the first Canadian publicly identified as someone killed in what is now known to be the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Facebook

Jordan’s friend Jeremy Smith, who began organizing the event on Facebook the day after the tragedy, said it was the best way to pay tribute.

Story continues below advertisement

“This is what he loved to do,” Smith said. “This was his whole thing. He loved to wear his cowboy boots and he was a complete redneck.”

People gathered in the parking lot of Langley’s Cineplex Colossus movie theatre, where decals reading “RIP Jordy Mac” were pasted onto back windows and bumpers.

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

By 10 a.m., the engines started roaring and, one by one, the trucks and bikes made their way to the highway.

WATCH: The girlfriend of Jordan McIldoon sat down with Global’s John Hua to talk about the day she lost the “love of her life” to a mass shooter in Las Vegas.

Click to play video: 'Girlfriend of B.C. victim of Las Vegas shooting remembers “love of her life”'
Girlfriend of B.C. victim of Las Vegas shooting remembers “love of her life”
Story continues below advertisement

Smith said he was impressed with the turnout, which extended beyond close friends and family.

“A lot of guys that even don’t know him have reached out and showed up to give their respects to Jordan,” he said.

McIldoon was the first Canadian confirmed among the 58 people killed by a lone gunman who targeted the Route 91 Harvest country music festival from the Mandalay Bay resort across the street.

The Maple Ridge native was attending the festival with his girlfriend.

In an earlier interview, Smith praised his friend as a selfless person who only wanted to make people happy and have a good time.

“He was one of the happiest, go-lucky kind of guy[s],” he wrote in an email. “His humour and his laugh alone could light up a whole room. Always making jokes. He would put everyone before himself, it was just the kind of person he was.”

Coverage of the Las Vegas shooting on Globalnews.ca:

Story continues below advertisement

Smith hopes to make the ride an annual event, as part of a continued effort to try and wring some positivity from a tragic situation.

“It’s been a rough go, but we’re going to get through it together and stay positive,” Smith said.

“Hopefully we’ll give everyone a chance to look forward to this in the years to come.”

The memorial ride wasn’t the only event to honour McIldoon this weekend.

On Friday night, local country music venue Roosters Country Cabaret in Pitt Meadows dedicated the evening to the fallen 23-year-old, with all proceeds from the door going to support his family.

A GoFundMe campaign for the family has raised nearly $30,000.

With files from Nadia Stewart, Amy Judd and Simon Little

Sponsored content

AdChoices