At least 50 people have been killed, and over 400 injured, after a “lone wolf” shooter opened fire on a country music festival in Las Vegas.
The death toll of at least 50 makes this the deadliest mass shooting in US history, surpassing the 49 deaths at Pulse nightclub in Orlando in June of 2016.
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The sole suspect – who fired multiple shots at attendees of the Route 91 concert from a room at the Mandalay Bay hotel and casino that overlooked the event – is dead. Police told reporters they believe the man shot himself in his room “prior to our entry”.
The suspect has been named by police as 64-year-old Stephen Paddock, from Mesquite, Nevada, a city around an hour’s drive from Vegas. Paddock’s motives are unknown; he has no known links to any terror groups, and Mesquite police spokesman Quinn Averett told the Guardian that he does not have a criminal record.
The suspect’s brother, Eric Paddock, told local media in Florida that his family is “dumbfounded” by the attack.
Las Vegas police released a photo of the dead suspect’s “companion”, Marilou Danley, announcing that she was wanted for questioning, before later indicating they had reached her and suggesting they did not believe she was involved.
The Department of Homeland Security has said there is currently no “specific credible threat involving other public venues”.
Video posted online shows the country singer Jason Aldean’s performance being interrupted by the sound of automatic gunfire, with audience members screaming, “Get down” and “Stay down”, reports the New York Times.
Anthony Kappenman, a concertgoer who was shot in the leg, told local TV station KTNV news that he first thought the noise was fireworks, but that before long “the crowd kind of picked up and realised there was gunfire. It was raining and hitting the concrete so you could hear it.” What followed, he said, was panic and “pandemonium”.
Sheriff Joseph Lombardo of Clark County told reporters that several SWAT teams were sent to the Mandalay Bay after emergency calls were made at 10:08PM.
Of the operation to find and stop the gunman, Lombardo said, “Through investigation and response, we determined there was a shooter on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay. Officers responded to that location and engaged the suspect at that location. He is dead […] Right now, we believe it is a sole actor – a lone wolf-type actor – and we have the place under control.”
When asked about the casualties, Lombardo confirmed that two of the dead were off-duty police officers.
“I have two police officers who are currently at the hospital, one in critical condition and the other with minor injuries,” he said. “There were other police officers that were off duty attending the concert, that have expired. We don’t have those individuals identified at this point.”
In a later press conference, Lombardo said officers found “numerous firearms” in Paddock’s room, and that the investigation ahead is going to be “long and tedious”.
In an address to the nation, President Trump described the attack as “an act of pure evil”, before thanking the Las Vegas Metropolitan police and other first responders.
“We cannot fathom their pain, we cannot imagine their loss,” he said of victims of the attack. “The families of the victims, we are praying for you; we are here for you.”
World leaders, including British Prime Minister Theresa May and Swedish PM Stefan Löfven, have joined artists who were performing at the Route 91 festival in tweeting prayers and messages of condolence.
This story is ongoing and this article will be updated
