Summary: On Sunday night, a 64-year-old man killed over 50 people and injured hundreds in our country’s deadliest mass shooting in modern history.
Last night, Las Vegas was terrorized by the “worst mass shooting in modern history.” According to ABC News, 58 people have been reported dead and 515 were injured after a gunman fired rounds into the crowd of a country music festival.
The shooter has been identified as 64-year-old Stephen Paddock. He reportedly killed himself in his hotel room at Mandalay Bay before police arrived.
Paddock obtained a hotel room on the 32nd floor and broke a window so that he could shoot the outdoor concert playing below. A source told ABC News that police found 19 weapons in Paddock’s room, and that the nonstop gunfire he rained onto the 22,000 country music fans was a combination of rifles and handguns.
The shooting occurred at 10:07 pm Las Vegas time and lasted for minutes. Terrified bystanders of the Route 91 Harvest Festival ducked and ran into different directions, and cell phone footage captured the horror from different angles.
The concertgoers had been enjoying a concert performed by Jason Aldean before Paddock had fired his first shot.
Police said that Paddock’s motive is still unclear. Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said in a news conference on Monday that he could not “get into the mind of a psychopath.” Fox News spoke to Paddock’s brother who said Paddock had no history of mental illness and that news of his actions shocked the family.
Las Vegas officials added that there was no connection between the gunman and any international terrorist group. They said that Paddock checked into Mandalay Bay on Thursday morning and most likely brought in the guns by himself. He had no criminal record and was not involved with law enforcement.
Concertgoers who spoke to ABC News said that they had thought the gunfire was fireworks at first, but then bodies began to drop. First responders arrived immediately at the scene to help those who were wounded.
Flights in and out of McCarran International Airport were halted temporarily following the shooting. Mandalay Bay said in a statement that law enforcement requested that the hotel and nearby hotels shut down to ensure guest safety.
This morning, President Donald Trump said that the shooting was “an act of pure evil.” He said that he planned to arrive in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
Aldean, who had been performing, released this statement on Instagram on Sunday:
“Tonight has been beyond horrific,” Aldean wrote. “I still dont know what to say but wanted to let everyone know that Me and my Crew are safe. My Thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved tonight. It hurts my heart that this would happen to anyone who was just coming out to enjoy what should have been a fun night.”
Nevada Attorney General Adam Paul Laxalt said that the police officers who arrived at the scene on Sunday night saved hundreds of people.
“When you see one of these men and women who are wearing a badge, tell them, ‘Thank you,'” Laxalt said. “Their selfless actions saved the lives of hundreds of people. Not a dozen, but hundreds of people. This death count would have been many hundred more were it not for [their] brave work.”
Las Vegas Police stated that family and friends seeking their loved ones should call 1-866-535-5654.