Mumbai: Sunday night at Las Vegas, the place renowned for its nightlife, was left astounded when a gunman opened fire on concertgoers from a perch above the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. This killed more than 50 people and wounded over 400 people, officials said, making it one of the deadliest mass shootings in the history of United States.
Several from the SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) teams were sent to the hotel immediately after the first reports of the shooting at 10:08 p.m. was reported, which officers overheard on police radio reported being pinned down by gunfire.
According to an eye witness, the “nonstop gunfire,” led more than 22,000 attendees of a country music festival across the street from the hotel, ducking for cover and scrambling for their lives.
Wherein the police said the suspect, who was found dead, had carried with him more than 10 rifles.
The gunman was later identified by the law enforcement officials as Stephen Paddock, 64, of Mesquite, Nevada.
An online video released showed the scenario of the attack outside the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. This is the concert where the singer Jason Aldean was performing outside at the Route 91 Harvest Festival which was a three-day country music event. However, this was interrupted by the sound of automatic gunfire. The music was immediately stopped and concertgoers were made to duck for cover as one shouted “Get down,” and “Stay down,” screamed another.
It was nine seconds of mass killing shootout video that was captured. Rapid-fire, continuous bursts followed by 37 seconds of silence from the weapon amid panicked screaming. It also showed singer Jason Aldean, the final performer of the night, running off the stage as soon as the gunfire erupted.
The motive still seemed unclear. As said by the senior law enforcement official to the ABC News that so far there are no ties to international terror.
Flights going in and out of the McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas were temporarily halted due to the incident. Some flights were diverted because of police activity. It was also reported that after shootout, people were seen fleeing the concert by running onto an airport runway which is located on the east of the Mandalay Hotel.
While the Mandalay Resort tweeted, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of last night’s tragic events. We are grateful for the immediate actions of our first responders.”
Our thoughts & prayers are with the victims of last night’s tragic events. We’re grateful for the immediate actions of our first responders. pic.twitter.com/Arf8edj1iZ
— Mandalay Bay Resort (@MandalayBay) October 2, 2017
Even US President Donald Trump was seen sharing his condolence on twitter as he tweeted, “My warmest condolences and sympathies to the victims and families of the terrible Las Vegas shooting. God bless you!”
My warmest condolences and sympathies to the victims and families of the terrible Las Vegas shooting. God bless you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 2, 2017
