US

Massacre At Mandalay: Las Vegas Gunman Kills At Least 58 At Country Music Concert [VIDEO]

Chuck Ross Investigative Reporter
Font Size:

A gunman fired hundreds of rounds into a crowd gathered at a country music concert in Las Vegas Sunday night, killing at least 58 people and injuring more than 500, though authorities expect the number of dead and wounded to rise.

At around 10:08 p.m. local time, a gunman opened fire from an upper-level floor at Mandalay Bay hotel on a crowd of 22,000 gathered at the Route 91 Harvest concert.

People scramble for shelter at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after apparent gun fire was heard on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)

(Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)

Police identified the shooter as 64-year-old Stephen Paddock of Mesquite, Nevada. Paddock was found dead on the 32nd floor of Mandalay Bay after officers responded to the shooting. Authorities said Monday morning that they believe he killed himself.

Several prolonged bursts of automatic gunfire can be heard in numerous videos recorded of the incident, which began while country star Jason Aldean was in the middle of his set.

Witnesses to the shooting said that they believed that the gunfire came from the hotel from an elevated position. Others described seeing people being hit with bullets, while one witness said on social media that he saw dead bodies “everywhere.”

Though there were initial reports of multiple shooters and multiple incidents up and down the Strip, Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo said at a press conference held at 1:30 a.m. local time that it was believed that there was only one suspect.

A pair of cowboy boots is shown in the street outside the concert venue after a mass shooting at a music festival on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, October 1, 2017. REUTERS/Las Vegas Sun/Steve Marcus

REUTERS/Las Vegas Sun/Steve Marcus

Investigators contacted the suspect’s roommate, an Asian woman named Marilou Danley, but said Monday morning that they do not believe she was involved. Lombardo said later that Paddock had been using some forms of her identification.

At the 1:30 a.m. press conference, the sheriff called the suspect a “lone wolf.”

Asked about the shooter’s motive, Lombardo said, “We don’t know what his belief system was at this time.”

ISIS initially claimed responsibility for the attack, but FBI agent Aaron Rose told reporters that investigators found no evidence of a terrorism link.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said Monday morning that an estimated 406 people had been transported to hospitals. The sheriff said authorities found at least 10 rifles in his 32nd floor hotel room, and that they had evidence that he had been staying in the room since Sept. 28.

 

Blake Apgar, a reporter with the Las Vegas Review Journal, obtained video footage recorded from a sidewalk just outside Mandalay Bay.

Dan Bilzerian, a professional poker player who was at the concert, recorded a video as he was running from the shooting.

“Holy fuck, this girl just got shot in the fucking head,” Bilzerian says as gunfire can be heard in the background.

A 45-year-old concert attendee, Steve Smith from Phoenix, told Reuters that “it sounded like fireworks.”

“People were just dropping to the ground. It just kept going on,” Smith told Reuters. “Probably 100 shots at a time. It would sound like it was reloading and then it would go again,” Smith said. “People were shot and trying to get out. A lot of people were shot.”

People take cover at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after apparent gun fire was heard on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)

(Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)

President Donald Trump called the incident “terrible” in an early morning Monday tweet.

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

The Department of Homeland Security said Monday that “at this time, we have no information to indicate a specific credible threat involving other public venues in the country.”

“However, increased security in and around public places and events may be experienced as officials take additional precautions,” the department said.

Las Vegas police stand guard along the streets outside the Route 91 Harvest Country music festival grounds of the Route 91 Harvest on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)

(Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)

Aldean, who was on stage when the shooting started, called the night “beyond horrific.”

“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,” he wrote on Instagram. “It hurts my heart that this would happen to anyone who was just coming out to enjoy what should have been a fun night. #heartbroken #stopthehate.”

WATCH: IDENTITY OF SHOOTING SUSPECT REVEALED

Follow Chuck on Twitter