People run from the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after apparent gun fire was heard on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)
A gunman killed at least 50 people and wounded more than 200 at a country music festival on the Las Vegas Strip on Sunday, raining down rapid fire from the 32nd floor of a hotel for several minutes before he was shot dead by police.
The death toll, which police emphasized was preliminary and tentative, would make the attack the deadliest mass shooting in United States history, eclipsing last year’s massacre of 49 people at an Orlando night club.
Thousands of panicked people fled the scene, in some cases trampling one another as law enforcement officers scrambled to locate and kill the gunman. Shocked concertgoers, some with blood on their clothes, wandered the streets after the attack.
‘The Shots Just Kept Coming’: Mass Shooting Unfolds at Country Music Festival
A gunman in a high-rise hotel overlooking the Las Vegas Strip opened fire on a country music festival Oct. 1, in the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history.
The suspect was a local Las Vegas man who acted alone and was not believed to be connected to any militant group, Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo told reporters.
Police identified the gunman as area resident Stephen Paddock, 64, but said they had no information yet about his motive.
He was not believed to be connected to any militant group, Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo told reporters.
“We have no idea what his belief system was,” Lombardo said.
“Right now, we believe he was the sole aggressor and the scene is static.”
“We’ve located numerous firearms within the room that he occupied,” Lombardo said.
Authorities believed they had located Paddock’s roommate, who they identified as Marilou Danley.
He gave no details of whether she was suspected of involvement in the attack but described her as an “associate”.
Police had located two cars that belonged to the suspect.
The dead included one off-duty police officer, while at least one other officer was critically injured, Lombardo said. Police warned the death toll may rise.
He said rumors of other shootings or explosives such as car bombs in the area were false.
The gunfire came from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay, where the gunman was killed, he said.
The shooting broke out on the last night of the three-day Route 91 Harvest festival, a sold-out event attended by thousands and featuring top acts such as Eric Church, Sam Hunt and Jason Aldean.
Mike McGarry, a 53-year-old financial adviser from Philadelphia, said he was at the concert when he heard hundreds of shots ring out.
“It was crazy – I laid on top of the kids. They’re 20. I’m 53. I lived a good life,” McGarry said. The back of his shirt bore footmarks, after people ran over him in the panicked crowd.
Many casinos in the area locked their doors during the incident to keep out any potential attackers, some using handcuffs to do so, according to witnesses.
“Caesar’s Palace had locked their doors. They wouldn’t let you in,” said Adam Mitchell, a 31-year-old tourist visiting from Britain.
A witness named Christine told CNN both she and her husband had separately taken shooting victims to two hospitals, the University Medical Center and the Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center.
“The shots just kept coming,” she said. “Everyone was telling us ‘run, run as fast as you can’.”
The concert venue was in an outdoor area known as Las Vegas Village, across the Strip from the Mandalay Bay and the Luxor hotels.
Las Vegas is a major resort city, known primarily for its gambling, shopping and nightlife, which would have been packed at time the shooting broke out shortly after 10pm. (5pm NZT).
United States media, including Fox News, reported that Aldean was performing around 10.45 p.m. local time on Sunday when the rampage began but that he had been bundled safely off stage at the event outside the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in the Nevada gambling mecca. CNN reported all the artists were safe.
Police have disclosed no information that would suggest a motive for the shooting.
Even so, the rampage was reminiscent of a mass shooting at a Paris rock concert in November 2015 that killed 89 people, part of a coordinated attack by Islamist militants that left 130 dead.
Earlier Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said on Twitter: “Confirming that one suspect is down. This is an active investigation. Again, please do not head down to the Strip at this time.”
Just after 12.30am local time (8.30pm NZ time), police said on Twitter they believed the “downed” suspect was the only gunman.
The Mandalay Bay hotel is near McCarran International Airport, which said on Twitter it had temporarily halted flights after the shooting.
Later, the airport said that some flights had resumed
Getty Images has posted photos of bodies on the ground covered in blood and people being carried away from the Route 91 Harvest country music festival in Las Vegas.
Other photos show panicked people running from the scene and taking cover on the ground.
One Twitter user posted that the casino hotel was on lockdown, while another, citing police scanners, said two gunmen who had shot at a bodyguard and police were on the 32nd floor.
Video clips posted online showed what sounded like automatic weapons as panicked concertgoers fled, dropped to the ground screaming.
Witnesses heard numerous gunshots at the hotel, where police tactical teams were searching for the attacker, according to reports on CNN and in the New York Times.
An Australian tourist named Danny told CNN he was in the Mandalay Bay and described chaos at the scene as officers ran into the building’s lifts.
“They were going up, they were coming down, they were going this way, that way. We were told to get out, told to get in – one shooter’s up there still, we were told by police, and one’s roaming around.”
SWAT officers were everywhere, he said. “A lot of people heard gunshots – the initial gunshots were apparently machine gun fire.”
Authorities could not be reached to confirm those details.
By The New York Times | Source: Aerial image by Google
Update: 50 Dead, More Than 400 Transported to Hospital in Las Vegas Shooting
LAS VEGAS (AP)
Here is a timeline of the events:
6 a.m. CST
The gunman who police suspect killed more than 50 people has been identified as Stephen Paddock. Paddock, 64, is suspected of opening fire during a Jason Aldean concert in Las Vegas.
Paddock was shot and killed by officers on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino right across the street from the concert.
5:30 a.m. CST
Just after 5:30 am CST Las Vegas police confirmed 50 are dead and more than 200 wounded in a shooting on the Las Vegas strip.
2 a.m.
A Nevada sheriff says one on-duty officer is in critical condition and another was wounded in the Las Vegas concert shooting that left more than 20 people dead.
Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo says two off-duty officers have died.
Several officers from California were attending the outdoor Route 91 Harvest Music Festival on Sunday when a gunman opened fire. A Bakersfield Police officer was shot and taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Authorities have not released any of their identities.
More than 100 people were injured.
Lombardo says the suspect is dead.
The sheriff says they believe this was a “lone wolf” attack but said they are looking for a roommate of the dead suspect as a person of interest.
___
1:55 a.m.
Country music star Jason Aldean took to social media to say he and his crew are safe after a gunman killed more than 20 people at an outdoor concert Sunday.
Aldean was in the middle of his performance when the bullets rained down on the crowd. He posted on Instagram hours later, calling the shooting “beyond horrific.”
Las Vegas authorities say more than 100 people are wounded in the attack.
Clark County’s sheriff says officers confronted the suspect on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino across the street from the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival. Authorities say the man is dead. They did not release the suspect’s name but said he is a local resident.
___
1:40 a.m.
Las Vegas authorities say more than 20 people are dead and 100 people are wounded after a man opened fire on an outdoor concert late Sunday.
Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo says officers confronted the suspect on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino across the street from the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival. Authorities say the man is dead. They did not release the suspect’s name but said he is a local resident.
Several officers from the Bakersfield Police Department were attending the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival on Sunday when a gunman opened fire. One was shot and taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Authorities did not release his name.
Lombardo said they believe this was a “lone wolf” attack but said they are looking for a roommate of the dead suspect as a person of interest
___
1:13 a.m.
A Southern California police department says one of its off-duty officers was shot during the attack on a Las Vegas concert.
Several officers from the Bakersfield Police Department were attending the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival on Sunday when a gunman opened fire. One was shot and taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Authorities did not release his name.
Two people are dead and dozens wounded after someone opened fire on an outdoor country music festival across the street from the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino.
Las Vegas police say one suspect is ‘down’ but did not give any other details.
___
1 a.m.
Some flights have resumed at the Las Vegas airport after all planes were temporarily grounded due to the deadly shooting on the Strip.
McCarran International Airport says limited flight activity has resumed early Monday.
Two people are dead and dozens wounded after someone opened fire late Sunday on an outdoor country music festival.
Las Vegas police say one suspect is ‘down’ but did not give any other details.
University Medical Center spokeswoman Danita Cohen said 26 people were admitted to the hospital after the incident.
___
12:50 a.m.
Las Vegas police say one suspect is ‘down’ after a deadly shooting Sunday at an outdoor concert and authorities don’t believe there are any more shooters.
Two people are dead and dozens more wounded after a gunman opened fire during Jason Aldean’s performance at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival.
Authorities shut down part of the Las Vegas Strip and Interstate 15.
McCarran International Airport officials say all flights in and out have been temporarily halted.
___
12:30 a.m.
All planes have been grounded at the Las Vegas airport after the deadly shooting at an outdoor concert on the Strip.
McCarran International Airport says all flights in and out have been temporarily halted in response to the shooting.
Two people are dead and dozens wounded after someone opened fire late Sunday on a music festival.
Las Vegas police say one suspect is ‘down’ but did not give any other details.
University Medical Center spokeswoman Danita Cohen said 26 people were admitted to the hospital after the incident.
___
12:15 a.m.
A concert-goer says he heard what sounded like fireworks while he was watching Jason Aldean’s performance at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival Sunday night.
Thirty-six-year-old Kodiak Yazzie said the music stopped temporarily and started up again before another round of pops sent the performers ducking for cover and fleeing the stage.
As the 40,000 fans in the crowd began to flee, Yazzie took cover and said he saw flashes of light coming from the Mandalay Bay hotel tower high above.
The bursts of pops would start and stop for more than five minutes. He says he saw dozens of ambulances as he ran for safety. He later got a Lyft driver to take him home to suburban Henderson.
Las Vegas police say one suspect is ‘down.’
A hospital spokeswoman says two people are dead and dozens wounded.
___
12:05 a.m.
Las Vegas police say one suspect is ‘down’ after shooting at country music festival that has left two people dead and dozens wounded.
University Medical Center spokeswoman Danita Cohen said 26 people were admitted to the hospital.
Dozens of patrol vehicles descended on the Strip after authorities received reports of an active shooter near the Route 91 Harvest Festival. Some officers took cover behind their vehicles while others carrying assault rifles ran into the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino.
Authorities shut down part of the Las Vegas Strip and Interstate 15.
Some flights destined for the McCarran International Airport were diverted due to incident.
___
11:55 p.m.
A Las Vegas hospital says at least two people are dead and dozens wounded after a shooting late Sunday at a music festival on the Las Vegas Strip.
University Medical Center spokeswoman Danita Cohen said 26 people were admitted to the hospital. She says, of those, at least two have died, 12 are in critical condition and the rest are being evaluated.
Dozens of patrol vehicles descended on the Strip after authorities received reports of an active shooter near the Route 91 Harvest Festival.
Authorities shut down part of the Las Vegas Strip and Interstate 15.
___
11:45 p.m.
Concert-goers reported seeing muzzle flashes from the upper floors of the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino across Las Vegas Boulevard from the Route 91 Harvest country music festival and the sound of what they described as automatic gun fire.
Witnesses say they saw multiple victims Sunday night as they fled the gunfire raining down on the concert venue.
Some later huddled in the basement of the nearby Tropicana hotel-casino.
___
11 p.m.
Multiple victims were being transported to hospitals after a shooting late Sunday at a music festival on the Las Vegas Strip.
Dozens of patrol vehicles descended on the Strip after authorities received reports of an active shooter near the Route 91 Harvest Festival.
Some officers took cover behind their vehicles while others carrying assault rifles ran into the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino.
University Medical Center spokeswoman Danita Cohen said the Las Vegas hospital is taking in “several” people with gunshot wounds. She didn’t have any other immediate information.
Authorities shut down part of the Las Vegas Strip and Interstate 15.
Some flights destined for the McCarran International Airport were diverted due to incident.
Witnesses say country singer Jason Aldean was playing near the end of the concert when gunfire rang out.
No further information was immediately known.
UPDATE:
Photographer who took poignant images of Vegas massacre recalls chaos
As a gunman unleashed a barrage of bullets on a crowd of over 22,000 at an outdoor country music festival, David Becker, a photographer for Getty Images, captured powerful images from the scene. Becker took pictures of panicked concertgoers and the carnage that followed.
What we know about the Las Vegas shooting
This story is developing and the page will be updated. With over 50 killed and 200 injured, last night’s Las Vegas Strip shooting was the deadliest in modern American history. The shooter, who had a room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino, fired shots into a concert venue across the street.
Las Vegas massacre is deadliest shooting in modern US history
A gunman carried out the deadliest mass shooting in US history by opening fire at a Las Vegas outdoor music concert – killing at least 50 people and wounding more than 200 before being fatally shot, officials said.
The Las Vegas Massacre: Shots, Chaos and a Frantic Search for a Gunman
A man unleashed a barrage of gunfire from a hotel room onto an outdoor music festival in Las Vegas, in what is now one of the deadliest mass shootings in American history.
Weapons cache found at Las Vegas shooter’s home
Police recovered 23 guns from his Las Vegas hotel room and another 19 guns from Paddock’s home in Mesquite, Nevada, Clark County Assistant Sheriff Todd Fasulo said. Authorities said Paddock killed 59 people and injured another 527 early Monday in the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history.