I haven't told anyone outside of my family this story until today...

In late August 2017, I got a request to pick up a passenger outside of a high-rise condominium building in Las Vegas, NV. I remember picking him up and dropping him off at world famous Caesar's Palace. He was pleasant and asked how my evening was going and asked if I did anything else outside of driving for Lyft. I remember telling him I was trying to start a business but not much else about the conversation, other than him repeating the same 3 words over and over again... "practice makes perfect". Obviously I found this to be odd, but didn't really give much attention to it because overall he seemed pretty normal.

My 30th birthday was coming up on 10/12 and my sisters friend was getting married at the Vatican on my birthday, so she bought me a plane ticket and set up arrangements for me to travel to Rome for the trip of a **lifetime**. We were even supposed to stay for 1 night in the same castle that Tom Cruise and Katy Holmes got married in, which sits on the shore and there were fireworks over the water following the cutting of the cake!

The morning that I was leaving to go to the airport, I start getting calls from a number I didn't recognize. I never pick up the phone when I don't recognize the number. Then I start getting texts from a guy that said he was a DEA agent assisting the FBI with an investigation regarding a passenger that I had. I kept telling him to identify himself as he introduced himself as "Officer AJ with the DEA". He kept deflecting and began requesting I just go down to the field office to assist them with the investigation. He eventually gave me his badge number and the phone number for the field office here in LV. So I googled the phone number and then called it after confirming that it was in fact the FBI field office. The person I spoke to informed me that anyone working with them wouldn't be texting.

I have ADHD and currently have clothes in the washer and hop in the shower to get ready for my travels. While drying off I hear 3 loud bangs on the front door. My grandfather (84), whom I am taking care off, answers the door. He used to work very high up in the government and used to advise numerous 3-letter agencies, and presidents/vise presidents on environmental issues. He invites in the 3 DEA agents that were standing outside.

**I'm totally freaking out at this point because what I believed to be the most disgusting prank/scam might of all time, might actually be my worst nightmare...**

I leave the bathroom with my towel around my waste as I hear my grandfather humorously telling them I have a very good lawyer, without even knowing why they were even here. So here I am with a towel still around my waste in my bedroom with 3 DEA agents questioning me regarding what I remembered about my previous Lyft passenger, Stephen Paddock.

As soon as they confirmed he was in my car, less than an arms length away, my jaw hit the fucking floor, I felt really light headed and I could feel the blood leave my face once they confirmed it was true. I still can't believe it to this day.

I never experienced what it's like to be in shock until that moment. After they leave, my mind is going 1 million miles an hour and I can't concentrate on anything. I forget I had clothes in the wash until about 2 hours before my filght takes off. I frantically throw the clothes into the dryer and start going over everything I need to have packed and make sure everything is in order for my travels.

I take the clothes out about 30 minutes later and think I'll get to the airport on time still because it usually takes about 15 to 20 minutes to get there from where I live, but not on that day. There was construction on the route I took and ended up getting to the airport 10 minutes after they stopped allowing passengers to check in for that flight. (International flights require you to arrive no later than 1 hour beforehand so they can thoroughly check the luggage for security purposes).

I walked outside of the airport, and screamed at the top of my lungs, broke down crying and had someone pick me up from the airport. I let my sister know what happened, and that I was going to just buy a 1 way ticket to Italy and catch my original return flight back home.

I get the ticket then learn that I can't just catch my original return flight. Once you miss an international, maybe even a continental(?) flight, all connecting flights are then cancelled. So because my new flight was leaving within 24 hours I wouldn't be able to get a refund on the original ticket.

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My heart goes out to all of the family and friends whom lost their loved ones 2 years ago... Although the events following the Las Vegas Shooting severely traumatized me, my trauma is in no comparison to those who lost loved ones. My heart also goes out to all that attended and either witnessed the event and/or were injured during the shooting.