Las Vegas Concert Mass Shooting Leaves 59 Dead, Over 500 Injured

LAS VEGAS – At least 59 people are dead and 527 injured in the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history after a lone gunman on the 32^nd floor of a Las Vegas hotel fired thousands of rounds at a crowd of 22,000 attending a country music concert on Sunday.

 

The shooter, identified as 64-year old Stephen Paddock of Mesquite and who had booked two rooms at the Mandalay Bay hotel, killed himself before the SWAT team forced its way into his room using explosives.

According to witnesses, the barrage of bullets from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel into the crowd lasted for about 72 minutes. As a result, at least 515 people were injured some from gun shots and as fans tramped on each other as they tried to flee the scene while Police tried to locate the shooter.

By Monday evening, the number of confirmed deaths had reached 59 and 527 injured.  Reports indicate that it took Law Enforcement Officers an hour and 12 minutes from the first 911 call to locate Paddock in the building.

Stephen Paddock lived in a retirement community in Mesquite, Nevada with a female companion, a 62-year old Filipino woman, Marilou Danley, who has since been cited as a person of interest by the Police.

While ISIS was quick to claim responsibility for the attack, Federal officials dismissed the claim of affiliation with any terrorist organization saying there was no evidence to link the shooter to militant organizations.  They believe Paddock acted alone although they do not know his motive for attacking the crowd.

“We have determined to this point no connection with an international terrorist group,” said Aaron Rouse, FBI’s Special Agent-In-Charge in Las Vegas.

“We have no idea what his belief system was,” said Las Vegas Sheriff Joseph Lombardo. “I can’t get into the mind of a psychopath.”

The preliminary death toll, which officials said could rise eclipsed last year’s massacre of 49 people at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida, by an Afghan-American gunman who had pledged allegiance to ISIS.

The shooter’s brother, Eric Paddock, described his brother as “a regular guy” who enjoyed attending shows and gambling at casinos.  He said the family was stunned by the news and could not fathom why he committed such a slaughter.

“We don’t understand,” said Erick Paddock of his brother (the shooter).

“We’re horrified. We’re bewildered, and our condolences go out to the victims,” he said in a phone interview, his voice trembling. “We have no idea in the world.”

He said his brother belonged to no political or religious organizations and had no history of mental illness. Their father had been a bank robber who for a while, was listed on the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted” suspects list.

According to Police,  Stephen Paddock, who killed himself before they entered his hotel room where he was firing from, had no criminal record.

In a televised address from the White House, President Trump called the shooting “an act of pure evil” and ordered U.S. flags to be flown at half-staff. He scheduled a trip to Las Vegas for Wednesday to meet with the families of victims, Law Enforcement Officials and First Responders.

“It was an act of pure evil,” said Trump, who later led a moment of silence at the White House in honor of the victims.

The President together with members of the Administration offered condolences and support to victims and families of the Las Vegas Sunday night mass shooting.

“My warmest condolences and sympathies to the victims and families of the terrible Las Vegas shooting.  God bless you!” tweeted the President.

First Lady Melania Trump also expressed her sympathies via Twitter, “My heart and prayers goes out to victims, families and loved ones!  #PrayForLasVegas.”

Vice President Mike Pence also responded to the attacks thanking the First Responders and offering the prayers of the American people.

“The hearts & prayers of the American people are with you. You have our condolences and sympathies,” he said in a tweet.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders promised the support of the Administration for those involved, “Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by the senseless tragedy in Las Vegas.  We are with you.”

First Daughter Ivanka Trump also tweeted in response to the carnage, “1:2 America woke up this morning to the horrific news of a devastating mass shooting in Las Vegas.”

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, a recent victim of gun violence who is still recovering from his injuries, tweeted that he was praying for the victims. The Louisiana Republican lawmarker was shot on a baseball field earlier this year by a left-wing activist.

Multiple Machine Guns

Police say there were more than 10 rifles in the room where Paddock killed himself. His arsenal included multiple machine guns, according to a Law Enforcement Official.

Police found several more weapons at Paddock’s home in Mesquite, about 90 miles (145 km) northeast of Las Vegas, Mesquite police spokesman Quinn Averett told reporters. They found 18 weapons, explosives and thousands of rounds of ammunition…plus ammonium nitrate.

U.S. Law largely bans machine guns.

The shooting, just the latest in a string that have played out across the United States over recent years, sparked an outcry from some lawmakers about the pervasiveness of guns in the United States, but was unlikely to prompt action in Congress.

Efforts to pass Federal Laws on guns failed following mass shootings from the 2012 massacre of 26 children and teachers in Newtown, Connecticut, to the June attack on Republican lawmakers practicing for a charity baseball game.

Nevada has some of the nation’s most permissive Gun Laws. It does not require firearm owners to obtain licenses or register their guns.

On Monday, Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat and House of Representatives Minority Leader, called on Republican House Speaker, Paul Ryan, to create a select committee on gun violence, a common practice by Democrats to use every gun-tragedy to go after the National Rifle Association (NRA) as well as demand stricter gun regulation.

“Congress has a moral duty to address this horrific and heartbreaking epidemic,” Pelosi wrote.

The Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects ‘the right to bear arms,’ and Gun-Rights advocates staunchly defend that provision. President Trump is an outspoken supporter of the Second Amendment and campaigned on preserving it.

“To all those political opportunists who are seizing on the tragedy in Las Vegas to call for more gun regs. … You can’t regulate evil,” Kentucky’s Republican Governor, Matt Bevin, said on Twitter.

Among those killed during the shooting were a nurse, a government employee, 2 off-duty Police Officers who were attending the concert while 2 other on-duty Officers were wounded including one in critical condition, Police said.

 “Just Kept Going On”

Video of the attack showed a panicked crowd fleeing as sustained rapid gunfire ripped through the area.

“People were just dropping to the ground. It just kept going on,” said Steve Smith, a 45-year-old visitor from Phoenix, Arizona. He said the gunfire went on for an extended period of time.

“Probably 100 shots at a time,” Smith said. “It would sound like it was reloading and then it would go again.”

Las Vegas’s casinos, nightclubs and shopping draw some 3.5 million visitors from around the world each year and the area was packed with visitors when the shooting broke out shortly after 10 p.m. local time (0400 GMT).

Shares of MGM Resorts International, which owns the Mandalay Bay, fell 4.8 percent on Monday to $31.01 a share.

The shooting at the sold-out concert was the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. even surpassing the Orlando nightclub shooting in June 2016 which left 49 people dead when a self-professed Islamist extremist gunman opened fire at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando.

Sunday’s shooting came more than four months after a suicide bombing at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, that killed 22 people. Almost 90 people were killed by gunmen inspired by Islamic State at the Bataclan concert hall in Paris during a performance by Eagles of Death Metal in November 2015.

Leaders from around the world expressed their sympathy for victims in the attack and the first responders.

United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May tweeted her condolences as well. The U.K. has been dealing with a series of violent attacks this year, including the Manchester bombing, which also occurred during a concert.

“The UK’s thoughts are with the victims and the emergency services responding to the appalling attack in Las Vegas,” Ms. May tweeted.

 

 

A Reuters Report.  Further editing by Manyika Review.