Las Vegas Police are investigating a horrific mass shooting that occurred at a country music festival on the Las Vegas Strip late on Sunday night.
Jason Aldean was the last act performing at the Route 91 Harvest Festival when a gunman started firing indiscriminately into the crowd of thousands from above a hotel room at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino across the street from the outdoor concert venue.
One concertgoer was recording the concert when the shots first rang out:
https://twitter.com/joshdcaplan/status/914734060332769280
Many of the thousands of attendees also recorded and posted the disturbing scenes on social media.
People duck for cover at the sound of gunfire in Las Vegas. At least 20 have died in a shooting on Sunday night https://t.co/N9l2h2BdRt pic.twitter.com/bXVeX1WFxu
— CNN (@CNN) October 2, 2017
Dramatic video shows people scramble for cover as gunfire rings out in Las Vegas. "We'll get trampled if we stay." https://t.co/KiJlpQJx5E pic.twitter.com/4a5PJwI6Ty
— ABC News (@ABC) October 2, 2017
The weapon was possibly fully automatic, as thousands of shots were fired over the 5-10 minutes of shooting. Within 2 hours police had found the suspect and confirmed he was dead.
Confirming that one suspect is down. This is an active investigation. Again, please do not head down to the Strip at this time.
— LVMPD (@LVMPD) October 2, 2017
After initial reports of several active shooters, the LVMPD confirmed it was a lone gunman, said to be a local resident.
At this time we do not believe there are any more shooters. More information to come shortly from @Sheriff_LVMPD.
— LVMPD (@LVMPD) October 2, 2017
The killer has been revealed as Stephen Paddock, a 64-year-old local resident.
BREAKING NEWS: Police name Stephen Paddock, age 64, as Las Vegas shooting suspect. He was killed by police. https://t.co/9UIeDKeODd pic.twitter.com/BltWyNc86h
— CNN (@CNN) October 2, 2017
NEW: Police have found person of interest Marilou Danley, now known to be Stephen Paddock's wife. https://t.co/4yjQ033kOX pic.twitter.com/h1U4bsbfKF
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) October 2, 2017
As of 7am eastern, police could only report that there were more than 50 deaths and over 200 injured – the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. The dead included 2 off-duty police officers from out of town and the injured included 2 on-duty LVPD.
BREAKING: Nevada sheriff says off-duty officers attending Las Vegas country music festival have died. https://t.co/OHehwdHNM9
— The Associated Press (@AP) October 2, 2017
This is a horrific tragedy. Our hearts go out to the victims and their families. The motive of the shooter is not yet known.
Please take a moment now to join us in prayer for the victims of the Vegas shooting.
Stay with The Political Insider for the latest updates.
