Wife of San Francisco police officer dies during Las Vegas shooting

NOVATO, Calif. (KTVU) - The wife of a San Francisco police officer is among the 59 victims who died during the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history, according to her brother-in-law.

“It's with a heavy heart and deep sorrow, Stacee Etcheber has passed away,” Al Etcheber wrote on Facebook. Tuesday morning before 6 a.m. “Please pray for our family during this difficult time. She leaves behind two adoring beautiful children and an amazing husband. Thank you to everyone for all the support in this past few days. We will dearly miss you......”

"Yeah, we're angry... we're devastated, we're frustrated, this was a senseless act," said Etcheber, who spoke to a group of reporters in Novato, just a few blocks from San Ramon Elementary School where one of the Etcheber's children attends school and a candlelight vigil will be held tonight at 7 o'clock. He was surrounded by officers from SFPD's Northern Station where Vinnie works. 

"To Alivia and Vinnie, um you know we love you very much," said Al, his voice quivering. "Your dad loves you very much,"

Stacee Etcheber, 50, had been at the country music festival Sunday night with another couple and her husband, a 22-year San Francisco police veteran, Vinnie Etcheber, when gunfire erupted outside the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.

In the chaos of the gunfire, during which gunman Stephen Paddock killed 59 people and injured more than 500, Vinnie Etcheber started to care for wounded victims, Al Etcheber told KTVU on Monday.

Vinnie Etcheber told his wife, Stacee, a hairdresser in Novato and mother of two, to run. And that's the last  he saw of his wife. After he helped get some of the injured to the hospital in the back of a pickup truck, he circled back to get his wife of 13 years, but everything was taped off.

"His description of the barrage of shots was unbelievable," said Al, who explained that Vinnie thought his wife was safe. Vinnie told Stacee and their friends to hide behind a metal barricade initially and then run for it, while he helped load gunshot victims into trucks headed to the hospital.

Later, when he returned to the scene, he couldn't find her. Stacee had left her cell phone in the time share in which they were staying and her ID was not on her either.

Vinnie called his brother Al who hopped in a car with thre SFPD officers and drove down to Las Vegas from the Bay Area.

Thinking Stacee could possibly be a Jane Doe in a hospital, she searched floor by floor for four solid hours.

"We circled around and circled around and we just had the sixth sense that you know, that the last stop was the coroner's office and that's where we found her," said Al, sadly.

Stacee had never made it out of the concert alive.

"It will be a tough road ahead for the entire Etcheber family and the POA and the SFPD will be behind them the entire way as they struggle to make sense of this," said Martin Halloran, President of the SF Police Officers' Association.They described her as a "wonderful caring wife, mother and daughter. She will be terribly missed."

Her Facebook page shows her with a wide open smile, skiing, horseback riding and attending San Francisco Giants games with her family and friends.

People have begun to place flowers at the salon where Stacee worked as a hairstylist.

"She's very fiery. she drives a truck, she drives the boat, you know, she pulls the horse trailer, she's a cowgirl, you know, and... we're gonna miss her," said Al.

A gofundme memorial fund-campaign has been created for Stacee Etcheber's family, including her children, ages 10 and 12.

KTVU's Lisa Fernandez contributed to this report.