"Deadliest Mass Shooting In US History": At Least 59 Killed, 527 Injured After Shooter Opens Fire At Las Vegas Concert
by Tyler Durden
Oct 2, 2017 10:36 PM
Here is a summary involving the deadliest mass shooting in US history
which took place shortly before midnight local time at Las Vegas
concert:
(Update 21: 7:40pm): Police said Monday they had recovered a weapons cache including firearms, explosives and ammunition from a house owned by Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock, AFP reports. According to Sheriff Joseph Lombardo, officers searching the house in Mesquite, Nevada recovered "in excess of 18 additional firearms, some explosives and several thousand rounds of ammo, along with some electronic devices we're evaluating at this point."
Lombardo also said the death toll from the Sunday night assault on an open-air concert on the Vegas Strip had risen to 59, while 527 people had been injured.
He said law enforcement were working four separate crime scenes: Paddock's room at the Mandalay Bay hotel, the concert venue, the gunman's house in Mesquite, and another house he owns in northern Nevada which a SWAT team was poised to raid. The arsenal uncovered in Mesquite comes on top of the 19 or so firearms discovered in the Vegas hotel room, from which Paddock launched the deadly assault before killing himself.
The gunman also appears to have been preparing explosives.
Lombardo said investigators had discovered several pounds of an explosive called tannerite in the Mesquite home, as well as ammonia nitrate, a type of fertiliser, in the gunman's car. Asked if they had discovered anything to bolster the claim of responsibility by the Islamic State group, Lombardo replied:
"Good for them - no, we have no evidence of that.
- More than 59 killed, 527 injured at Route 91 Harvest Festival when a gunman fired hundreds of bullets for roughly 10 minutes from 32nd floor of Mandalay Bay
- The shooter, Stephen Paddock, 64, killed himself as police enter room
- ISIS claims Paddock was its "solider", a recent convert to Islam; meanwhile police and FBI disagree, and say the motive is unclear
- The shooter's brother said he was a "multimillionaire who made much of his money investing in real estate."
- Addressing the nation, Donald Trump said the Las Vegas shooting was 'act of pure evil'
(Update 21: 7:40pm): Police said Monday they had recovered a weapons cache including firearms, explosives and ammunition from a house owned by Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock, AFP reports. According to Sheriff Joseph Lombardo, officers searching the house in Mesquite, Nevada recovered "in excess of 18 additional firearms, some explosives and several thousand rounds of ammo, along with some electronic devices we're evaluating at this point."
Lombardo also said the death toll from the Sunday night assault on an open-air concert on the Vegas Strip had risen to 59, while 527 people had been injured.
He said law enforcement were working four separate crime scenes: Paddock's room at the Mandalay Bay hotel, the concert venue, the gunman's house in Mesquite, and another house he owns in northern Nevada which a SWAT team was poised to raid. The arsenal uncovered in Mesquite comes on top of the 19 or so firearms discovered in the Vegas hotel room, from which Paddock launched the deadly assault before killing himself.
The gunman also appears to have been preparing explosives.
Lombardo said investigators had discovered several pounds of an explosive called tannerite in the Mesquite home, as well as ammonia nitrate, a type of fertiliser, in the gunman's car. Asked if they had discovered anything to bolster the claim of responsibility by the Islamic State group, Lombardo replied:
"Good for them - no, we have no evidence of that.
Separately,
in front of Paddock's home in Reno, Nevada, a SWAT team and bomb squad
has arrived and appears to be getting ready to search the shooter's
house.
A dozen officers carrying rifles were at the house in an upscale
neighborhood near the state line with California on Monday afternoon.
They closed a two-block stretch around the house in a neighborhood that
has a community clubhouse with a tennis court and a billiard room. Three
SWAT team trucks and a bomb squad truck accompanied police.
Next-door neighbor Dee McKay said she last saw Paddock in June after he moved to Mesquite, Nevada, where Paddock also owns a home. She says Paddock said he was a professional gambler and that the home’s garage had a safe the size of a refrigerator.
For more details follow @BenBotkin1's timeline
* * *
Update 20 (4:30pm): According to the NYT, Vegas police said they found more than 19 rifles in the gunman’s hotel room, including two weapons mounted on tripods at the windows and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
Meanwhile, AP reports that according to his brother, Stephen Paddock says he was a multimillionaire who made much of his money investing in real estate. Eric Paddock told reporters Monday in Orlando that his brother was also an accountant for many years. He was not aware of his brother having any recent financial difficulties. Stephen Craig Paddock recently sent a walking aide by post to his 90-year-old mother.
The brother says the shooter collected coins when he was a child.
* * *
Update 19 (2:50pm): The White House said it would be "premature" to restart the debate over gun control after Vegas shooting. "There's a time and place for a political debate, but now is the time to unite as a country," Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told the daily White House briefing.
"A motive is yet to be determined and it would be premature for us to discuss policy when we don't fully know all of the facts or what took place last night."
Meanwhile, Lady Gaga and several other celebs have US leaders Monday to act quickly to tighten gun laws following the carnage in Las Vegas as artists voiced shock at the deadliest shooting in modern US history. While most artists left their comments to general messages of sympathy after the assault on a country music festival, Gaga used her social media power to press politicians.
"This is terrorism plain and simple. Terror bares no race, gender or religion. Democrats & Republicans please unite now," the pop star wrote to her more than 71 million followers on Twitter, where her account is the seventh most popular.
She took to task the call for prayers by House Speaker Paul Ryan, who like President Donald Trump and most other Republican leaders is a staunch opponent of regulations on guns. "Prayers are important but @SpeakerRyan @realDonaldTrump blood is on the hands of those who have power to legislate. GunControl act quickly," she wrote.
Separately, in a follow up statement by the ISIS, the terrorist organization again took credit for the deadly shooting and referred to Paddock by the nom de guerre "Abu Abd al-Barr al-Amriki" and said he answered a call to arms by its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. In an audio message released on Thursday Baghdadi exhorted his followers to wage attacks against the West and "besiege them in every corner".
US officials said they are examining the claim, but have yet to find any evidence linking the shooter who fired up to 300 rounds from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel, to any terrorist group, including ISIS.
Next-door neighbor Dee McKay said she last saw Paddock in June after he moved to Mesquite, Nevada, where Paddock also owns a home. She says Paddock said he was a professional gambler and that the home’s garage had a safe the size of a refrigerator.
For more details follow @BenBotkin1's timeline
* * *
Update 20 (4:30pm): According to the NYT, Vegas police said they found more than 19 rifles in the gunman’s hotel room, including two weapons mounted on tripods at the windows and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
Meanwhile, AP reports that according to his brother, Stephen Paddock says he was a multimillionaire who made much of his money investing in real estate. Eric Paddock told reporters Monday in Orlando that his brother was also an accountant for many years. He was not aware of his brother having any recent financial difficulties. Stephen Craig Paddock recently sent a walking aide by post to his 90-year-old mother.
The brother says the shooter collected coins when he was a child.
* * *
Update 19 (2:50pm): The White House said it would be "premature" to restart the debate over gun control after Vegas shooting. "There's a time and place for a political debate, but now is the time to unite as a country," Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told the daily White House briefing.
"A motive is yet to be determined and it would be premature for us to discuss policy when we don't fully know all of the facts or what took place last night."
Meanwhile, Lady Gaga and several other celebs have US leaders Monday to act quickly to tighten gun laws following the carnage in Las Vegas as artists voiced shock at the deadliest shooting in modern US history. While most artists left their comments to general messages of sympathy after the assault on a country music festival, Gaga used her social media power to press politicians.
"This is terrorism plain and simple. Terror bares no race, gender or religion. Democrats & Republicans please unite now," the pop star wrote to her more than 71 million followers on Twitter, where her account is the seventh most popular.
She took to task the call for prayers by House Speaker Paul Ryan, who like President Donald Trump and most other Republican leaders is a staunch opponent of regulations on guns. "Prayers are important but @SpeakerRyan @realDonaldTrump blood is on the hands of those who have power to legislate. GunControl act quickly," she wrote.
Separately, in a follow up statement by the ISIS, the terrorist organization again took credit for the deadly shooting and referred to Paddock by the nom de guerre "Abu Abd al-Barr al-Amriki" and said he answered a call to arms by its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. In an audio message released on Thursday Baghdadi exhorted his followers to wage attacks against the West and "besiege them in every corner".
US officials said they are examining the claim, but have yet to find any evidence linking the shooter who fired up to 300 rounds from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel, to any terrorist group, including ISIS.
* * *
Update 18 (2:35pm): According to Ben Botkin of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Reno, Nevada police has closed down the block where Paddock owned property in retiree community for residents 55 and older. Botkin reports that a raid of the Paddock house is expected shortly and tweets that "area resident who lives near shooter's Reno property: "I saw his picture on TV and he looked vaguely familiar."
* * *
Update 17 (1:30pm): Police from the Dallas suburb of Mesquite, Texas say the suspect in the worst mass shooting in recent U.S. history lived there from 2004 to 2012. Quoted by the AP, Lt. Brian Parish says property records show Stephen Craig Paddock, 64, indicated he lived there during the period but that public records suggested he may have lived in the suburb longer. Parrish said Monday that Paddock owned at least three rental properties. Parrish also says Mesquite police have found no indications that officers had contact with Paddock.
Nevada police have said Parrish was most recently living in that state’s city of Mesquite near the state line with Arizona. Investigators searched the Nevada home. Officers in Mesquite, Nevada, also have said they had no contact with Paddock before the shooting.
* * *
Update 16 (1:15pm): Vladimir Putin has sent condolences to Donald Trump, the Kremlin said in a statement. Putin told Trump that "this crime which killed tens of peaceful citizens is shocking in its cruelty," according to quoted by the Russian media.
* * *
Update 15 (12:25pm): A new photograph of shooter Stephen Paddock has emerged, via the Telegraph, although it is unclear when or where it was taken.
It was also reported, that Paddock had made significant gambling payments in recent weeks. Officials say that Paddock's payments were in the tens of thousands, but it was not clear whether those were losses or wins. His former neighbours in Florida, Don and Sharon Judy, said that Paddock was a "night owl" who spent his evenings gambling.
"He did video gambling when he was here," Mrs Judy said. "He showed me one time on his iPhone how he had just won $20,000." She added that he said he "gambled for a living".
Separately, as some have noted, Paddock's father - Benjamin Paddock - was a convicted bank robber and on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list after escpaing from prison in 1968 and on the run for 10 years.
* * *
Update 14 (11:40am): According to the latest update from Las Vegas police, the number of dead has risen to 58, while at least 515 have been injured.
"The number of people who have died associated with this event has increased. Right now we're using the number of 58," Las Vegas Sheriff Joseph Lombardo told reporters. "The number of injured - we are using the number of 515."
Lombardo also said that the police has completed its investigation of the shooter's room on the 32nd floor, and that people may return to Mandalay Bay, and the hotel is back open for guests expect the 32nd floor.
Separately, an FBI spokesman at the press conference said that "we have determined no connection with an international terrorist group" eyeing the earlier claim by ISIS that the attack was by one of its "soldiers."
* * *
Update 13 (10:55am): Condemning the shooting, in his address to the nation from Washington, President Trump said thanked the first responders for their quick reaction, saying the attack "was an act of pure evil" and that "our unity cannot be shattered by evil, our bonds cannot be broken by violence" even as "hundreds of our fellow citizens are now mourning the loss of a loved one."
The president ordered U.S. flags to be flown at half-staff: “We pray for the entire nation to find unity and peace. To the families of the victims: We are praying for you and we are here for you, and we ask God to help see you through this very dark period."
"Scripture teaches us the Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. We seek comfort in those words for we know that God lives in the hearts of those who grieve."
Trump also said that he would visit Las Vegas on Wednesday after his Tuesday Puerto Rico trip.
* * *
Update 12 (10:33am): With the sun out, photos and videos have emerged of the broken windows on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel. Photos reveal two broken windows on the floor from which gunman Stephen Paddock reportedly sprayed bullets at concert-goers below
Video courtesy of NBC:
* * *
Update 11 (10:15am): In a surprising development, the Islamic State's news agency has claimed responsibility for the concert attack, alleging that Stephen Paddock converted to Islam "months ago". There is no evidence for these claims. This despite police in Las Vegas stating there is no link to international terrorism.
Meanwhile, from Reuters:
Update 10 (10:00am): The brother of gunman Stephen Paddock has said the family is "dumbfounded" by what happened. Eric Paddock told MailOnline from his home in Orlando, Florida: "He was just a guy. Something happened, he snapped or something." US records show Paddock lived in a three-year-old, £300,000 two-bedroom home in the tiny desert community of Mesquite, 80 miles north east of Las Vegas, near the Arizona state border. The house is currently being searched by detectives, Clark County sheriff Joseph Lombardo told reporters.
Eric also told CBS News his brother was "not an avid gun guy at all". He added: "The fact that he had those kinds of weapons is just... where the hell did he get automatic weapons? He has no military background or anything like that. "He's a guy who lived in a house in Mesquite and drove down and gambled in Las Vegas."
* * *
Update 9 (9:10am): The Vegas shooter Paddock killed himself as the police closed in. According to undersheriff Kevin McMahill, Stephen Paddock died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound as police made entry to his Las Vegas hotel room. He also confirmed that Paddock, who is believed to have checked into the hotel on Thursday, had more than 10 guns. McMahill added that Marilou Danley is overseas and that officers have made contact with her. She is believed to be Australian and of Indonesian origin.
* * *
Update 8 (9:00am): This is a layout of the shooting scene per the NYT:
* * *
Update 7 (8:55am): According to LV police, as many as 406 injured people have been taken to various hospitals in Las Vegas after the concert attack; police also confirmed one of the 50 who died was an off-duty officer. Meanwhile, US Homeland Security said there is no "specific credible threat" to other public venues in America.
* * *
Update 6: (8:30am): more details have emerged on the gundman, Stephen Paddock, via the Telegraph.
Who was Paddock and what was his motive?
The gunman responsible for the worst mass shooting in modern US history is believed to be a grandfather who lived in a remote desert home, reports Leon Watson. Stephen Paddock, 64, was named by police as the perpetrator who left more than 50 dead. He was killed when officers blasted their way into his hotel room.
Where was he from?
Paddock is reported to have lived in a retirement village in Mesquite, Nevada, since June 2016 and was born on April 9, 1953. It is claimed he previously lived in Reno, Nevada, from 2011 to 2016, and also had an address in Melbourne, Florida, from 2013 to 2015. He has also lived in Henderson, Nevada, and several locations in California since 1990, it is reported.
Mesquite is located about 80 miles, or an hour and 16 minutes, away from Las Vegas, along Nevada’s border with Arizona. Mesquite, a city in Clark County, is home to about 17,400 people, including several retirement communities, along with casinos and golf courses.
Did he act alone?
Despite initial reports of multiple gunmen, police do not believe at this time that there were any other attackers. Sheriff Joseph Lombardo, of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, described Paddock as a "lone wolf". Officers were initially seeking his travelling companion - Marilou Danley - who has now been located. She is believed to have been his roommate, however the police have since announced they do not believe she was involved in the shooting.
At this stage, Paddock does not have any known ties to terrorist organisation and no motive has been put forward.
When asked by a reporter if it was an act of terrorism, Sheriff Lombardo said: “No, not at this point. We believe it was a local individual. He resides here locally.
"I’m not at liberty to give you his place of residence yet, because it’s an ongoing investigation, we don’t know what his belief system was at this time. … Right now we believe he is the sole aggressor at this point and the scene is static."
Was Paddock known to authorities?
NBC reports that he was. But public records do not show any criminal convictions for Paddock in Nevada. Mesquite Police told CBS News that he was not known to them, and that he lived in a retirement community, is a white male and wasn't a military veteran.
What was his motive?
He was not believed to be connected to any militant group, Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo told reporters. "We have no idea what his belief system was," Lombardo said. "We've located numerous firearms within the room that he occupied."
* * *
Update 5 (8:05am): 62-year-old Marilou Danley has been located and police do not believe she was involved in the Las Vegas shooting. Danley is believed to have lived at the same address as Paddock, a remote dessert retirement village, since January 2017. The Hyundai Tuscon is still being sought.
* * *
Update 4 (7:36am): Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said Stephen Paddock, the dead gunman, is believed to have checked into the Mandalay Bay Hotel as a guest. He said: "We've located numerous firearms within the room that he occupied." Lombardo said officers had confronted Paddock on the 32nd floor across the street from the concert. There were at least 8 guns and a number of long rifles in the alleged shooter’s room, per Las Vegas Police Undersheriff Kevin McMahill.
As noted earlier, he also said that authorities are confident they have located 62-year-old Marilou Danley, shown below, who was wanted as a person of interest as Paddock's travelling companion.
* * *
Update 3 (7:20am): According to the Australian, Marilou Danley, the woman wanted by police in connection with the Las Vegas shooting is Australian. The Australian understands that she was the girlfriend of the dead shooter Stephen Paddock. Ms Danley is understood to have shared a house in Las Vegas with Mr Paddock. She holds an Australian passport and is possibly of Indonesian decent. Las Vegas Police said that they had located Danley after earlier issuing her photo and naming her as a person of interest following the shooting.
Marilou Danley, Source: facebook
Some further details: Marilou Danley is a former “high-limit hostess” at a casino. The mother and grandmother, whose now deleted Facebook page was full of photos with family members and trips overseas, was described by police as a 4’11” Asian woman. She was described as a “companion” of the still unidentified shooter. Police stopped short of calling Danley a suspect in the early morning hours of October 2, but they said they wanted to talk to her about the carnage.
* * *
Update 2 (7:15am): Shortly after the White House said that the president was being briefed on the Vegas mass shooting tragedy, Trump tweeted: "My warmest condolences and sympathies to the victims and families of the terrible Las Vegas shooting. God bless you!"
* * *
Update 1 (6:45am): In a press briefing, Las Vegas Sheriff Lombardo said that the death toll from the gruesome shooting has risen to at least 50, with more than 200 injured. Additionally, Lombardo said that the now deceased shooter was identified as 64-year-old Stephen Paddock, resident of Mesquite, Nevada.
The sheriff added that “we are confident but not 100% sure that we have located the female person of interest.”
According to the AP, the revised death toll makes the Las Vegas concert tragedy was the deadliest shooting in the United States since 49 people were killed at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida in June 2016.
* * *
At least 20 people were killed and more than 100 wounded after a gunman on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay casino opened fire on an outdoor music festival on the Las Vegas Strip late Sunday, according to the WSJ. Police said they were first alerted to reports of an incident at 10:08 p.m. and then determined there was a shooter on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino who was targeting the nearby Route 91 Harvest Festival.
Officers confronted the suspect at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino across the street from the concert, Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said.
Authorities say the man died. Police did not release the suspect's name but said he was a local resident.
Lombardo said they believe this was a "lone wolf" attack but said they were looking for a roommate of the dead suspect as a person of interest. The two slain off-duty officers were attending the concert, Lombardo said. An on-duty officer was in critical condition and another was wounded, Lombardo said.
Concertgoers reported seeing muzzle flashes from the 32 floor of the Mandalay Bay across Las Vegas Boulevard from the country music festival and the sound of what they described as automatic gunfire.
Chilling Video footage captured the moment an active shooter opened fire at the concert on the Las Vegas strip.
Witnesses said they saw multiple victims as they fled the gunfire raining down on the concert venue. Some later huddled in the basement of the nearby Tropicana hotel-casino.
Police are also trying to locate a female companion, who they named as Marilou Danley, who was traveling with the suspect.
“We are comfortable that the primary aggressor in this event has expired, or passed away, and is no longer a threat,” Sheriff Lombardo said. “We are pretty confident there is no longer a threat.”
In a statement, the Mandalay Bay said that "law enforcement requested that we put hotels in the vicinity on lockdown to ensure guest safety."
University Medical Center of Southern Nevada spokeswomna Danita Cohen said that her hospital had received approximately 50 patients from the scene, two of whom had died, and “several” were in critical condition. Local television news reports showed crowds of people in Las Vegas ducking for cover as the sound of rapid gunshots rang out, while dozens of patrol vehicles descended on the Strip.
Jose Baggett, 31, a Las Vegas resident, said he and a friend were in the lobby of the Luxor hotel-casino — directly north of the festival — when people began running. He said people were crying and as he and his friend walked away, they encountered police checkpoints where officers were carrying shotguns and assault rifles.
"There were armored personnel vehicles, SWAT vehicles, ambulances, and at least a half-mile of police cars," Baggett said.
Some officers took cover behind their vehicles while others carrying assault rifles ran into the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino. Authorities shut down part of the Las Vegas Strip and Interstate 15.
Witnesses say country singer Jason Aldean was playing near the end of the concert when gunfire rang out. Hours after the shooting, Aldean posted on Instagram that he and his crew were safe and said the shooting was "beyond horrific."
Several officers from California were attending the music festival. A Bakersfield police officer was shot and taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Kodiak Yazzie, 36, said he and his girlfriend were watching Aldean's performance when he heard what sounded like fireworks. The music stopped temporarily and started up again before another round of pops sent the performers ducking for cover and fleeing the stage. Thousands fled as bursts of gunfire could be heard for more than five minutes, Yazzie said.
Update 18 (2:35pm): According to Ben Botkin of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Reno, Nevada police has closed down the block where Paddock owned property in retiree community for residents 55 and older. Botkin reports that a raid of the Paddock house is expected shortly and tweets that "area resident who lives near shooter's Reno property: "I saw his picture on TV and he looked vaguely familiar."
* * *
Update 17 (1:30pm): Police from the Dallas suburb of Mesquite, Texas say the suspect in the worst mass shooting in recent U.S. history lived there from 2004 to 2012. Quoted by the AP, Lt. Brian Parish says property records show Stephen Craig Paddock, 64, indicated he lived there during the period but that public records suggested he may have lived in the suburb longer. Parrish said Monday that Paddock owned at least three rental properties. Parrish also says Mesquite police have found no indications that officers had contact with Paddock.
Nevada police have said Parrish was most recently living in that state’s city of Mesquite near the state line with Arizona. Investigators searched the Nevada home. Officers in Mesquite, Nevada, also have said they had no contact with Paddock before the shooting.
* * *
Update 16 (1:15pm): Vladimir Putin has sent condolences to Donald Trump, the Kremlin said in a statement. Putin told Trump that "this crime which killed tens of peaceful citizens is shocking in its cruelty," according to quoted by the Russian media.
* * *
Update 15 (12:25pm): A new photograph of shooter Stephen Paddock has emerged, via the Telegraph, although it is unclear when or where it was taken.
It was also reported, that Paddock had made significant gambling payments in recent weeks. Officials say that Paddock's payments were in the tens of thousands, but it was not clear whether those were losses or wins. His former neighbours in Florida, Don and Sharon Judy, said that Paddock was a "night owl" who spent his evenings gambling.
"He did video gambling when he was here," Mrs Judy said. "He showed me one time on his iPhone how he had just won $20,000." She added that he said he "gambled for a living".
Separately, as some have noted, Paddock's father - Benjamin Paddock - was a convicted bank robber and on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list after escpaing from prison in 1968 and on the run for 10 years.
* * *
Update 14 (11:40am): According to the latest update from Las Vegas police, the number of dead has risen to 58, while at least 515 have been injured.
"The number of people who have died associated with this event has increased. Right now we're using the number of 58," Las Vegas Sheriff Joseph Lombardo told reporters. "The number of injured - we are using the number of 515."
Lombardo also said that the police has completed its investigation of the shooter's room on the 32nd floor, and that people may return to Mandalay Bay, and the hotel is back open for guests expect the 32nd floor.
Separately, an FBI spokesman at the press conference said that "we have determined no connection with an international terrorist group" eyeing the earlier claim by ISIS that the attack was by one of its "soldiers."
* * *
Update 13 (10:55am): Condemning the shooting, in his address to the nation from Washington, President Trump said thanked the first responders for their quick reaction, saying the attack "was an act of pure evil" and that "our unity cannot be shattered by evil, our bonds cannot be broken by violence" even as "hundreds of our fellow citizens are now mourning the loss of a loved one."
The president ordered U.S. flags to be flown at half-staff: “We pray for the entire nation to find unity and peace. To the families of the victims: We are praying for you and we are here for you, and we ask God to help see you through this very dark period."
"Scripture teaches us the Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. We seek comfort in those words for we know that God lives in the hearts of those who grieve."
Trump also said that he would visit Las Vegas on Wednesday after his Tuesday Puerto Rico trip.
* * *
Update 12 (10:33am): With the sun out, photos and videos have emerged of the broken windows on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel. Photos reveal two broken windows on the floor from which gunman Stephen Paddock reportedly sprayed bullets at concert-goers below
Video courtesy of NBC:
* * *
Update 11 (10:15am): In a surprising development, the Islamic State's news agency has claimed responsibility for the concert attack, alleging that Stephen Paddock converted to Islam "months ago". There is no evidence for these claims. This despite police in Las Vegas stating there is no link to international terrorism.
Meanwhile, from Reuters:
- TWO SENIOR U.S. OFFICIALS SAY NO EVIDENCE AT THIS TIME THAT LAS VEGAS SHOOTER IS CONNECTED TO ANY INTERNATIONAL MILITANT GROUP
- SENIOR U.S. OFFICIAL DISCOUNTED ISLAMIC STATE'S CLAIM OF RESPONSIBILITY FOR LAS VEGAS SHOOTING
Update 10 (10:00am): The brother of gunman Stephen Paddock has said the family is "dumbfounded" by what happened. Eric Paddock told MailOnline from his home in Orlando, Florida: "He was just a guy. Something happened, he snapped or something." US records show Paddock lived in a three-year-old, £300,000 two-bedroom home in the tiny desert community of Mesquite, 80 miles north east of Las Vegas, near the Arizona state border. The house is currently being searched by detectives, Clark County sheriff Joseph Lombardo told reporters.
Eric also told CBS News his brother was "not an avid gun guy at all". He added: "The fact that he had those kinds of weapons is just... where the hell did he get automatic weapons? He has no military background or anything like that. "He's a guy who lived in a house in Mesquite and drove down and gambled in Las Vegas."
* * *
Update 9 (9:10am): The Vegas shooter Paddock killed himself as the police closed in. According to undersheriff Kevin McMahill, Stephen Paddock died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound as police made entry to his Las Vegas hotel room. He also confirmed that Paddock, who is believed to have checked into the hotel on Thursday, had more than 10 guns. McMahill added that Marilou Danley is overseas and that officers have made contact with her. She is believed to be Australian and of Indonesian origin.
* * *
Update 8 (9:00am): This is a layout of the shooting scene per the NYT:
* * *
Update 7 (8:55am): According to LV police, as many as 406 injured people have been taken to various hospitals in Las Vegas after the concert attack; police also confirmed one of the 50 who died was an off-duty officer. Meanwhile, US Homeland Security said there is no "specific credible threat" to other public venues in America.
* * *
Update 6: (8:30am): more details have emerged on the gundman, Stephen Paddock, via the Telegraph.
Who was Paddock and what was his motive?
The gunman responsible for the worst mass shooting in modern US history is believed to be a grandfather who lived in a remote desert home, reports Leon Watson. Stephen Paddock, 64, was named by police as the perpetrator who left more than 50 dead. He was killed when officers blasted their way into his hotel room.
Where was he from?
Paddock is reported to have lived in a retirement village in Mesquite, Nevada, since June 2016 and was born on April 9, 1953. It is claimed he previously lived in Reno, Nevada, from 2011 to 2016, and also had an address in Melbourne, Florida, from 2013 to 2015. He has also lived in Henderson, Nevada, and several locations in California since 1990, it is reported.
Mesquite is located about 80 miles, or an hour and 16 minutes, away from Las Vegas, along Nevada’s border with Arizona. Mesquite, a city in Clark County, is home to about 17,400 people, including several retirement communities, along with casinos and golf courses.
Did he act alone?
Despite initial reports of multiple gunmen, police do not believe at this time that there were any other attackers. Sheriff Joseph Lombardo, of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, described Paddock as a "lone wolf". Officers were initially seeking his travelling companion - Marilou Danley - who has now been located. She is believed to have been his roommate, however the police have since announced they do not believe she was involved in the shooting.
At this stage, Paddock does not have any known ties to terrorist organisation and no motive has been put forward.
When asked by a reporter if it was an act of terrorism, Sheriff Lombardo said: “No, not at this point. We believe it was a local individual. He resides here locally.
"I’m not at liberty to give you his place of residence yet, because it’s an ongoing investigation, we don’t know what his belief system was at this time. … Right now we believe he is the sole aggressor at this point and the scene is static."
Was Paddock known to authorities?
NBC reports that he was. But public records do not show any criminal convictions for Paddock in Nevada. Mesquite Police told CBS News that he was not known to them, and that he lived in a retirement community, is a white male and wasn't a military veteran.
What was his motive?
He was not believed to be connected to any militant group, Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo told reporters. "We have no idea what his belief system was," Lombardo said. "We've located numerous firearms within the room that he occupied."
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Update 5 (8:05am): 62-year-old Marilou Danley has been located and police do not believe she was involved in the Las Vegas shooting. Danley is believed to have lived at the same address as Paddock, a remote dessert retirement village, since January 2017. The Hyundai Tuscon is still being sought.
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Update 4 (7:36am): Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said Stephen Paddock, the dead gunman, is believed to have checked into the Mandalay Bay Hotel as a guest. He said: "We've located numerous firearms within the room that he occupied." Lombardo said officers had confronted Paddock on the 32nd floor across the street from the concert. There were at least 8 guns and a number of long rifles in the alleged shooter’s room, per Las Vegas Police Undersheriff Kevin McMahill.
As noted earlier, he also said that authorities are confident they have located 62-year-old Marilou Danley, shown below, who was wanted as a person of interest as Paddock's travelling companion.
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Update 3 (7:20am): According to the Australian, Marilou Danley, the woman wanted by police in connection with the Las Vegas shooting is Australian. The Australian understands that she was the girlfriend of the dead shooter Stephen Paddock. Ms Danley is understood to have shared a house in Las Vegas with Mr Paddock. She holds an Australian passport and is possibly of Indonesian decent. Las Vegas Police said that they had located Danley after earlier issuing her photo and naming her as a person of interest following the shooting.
Marilou Danley, Source: facebook
Some further details: Marilou Danley is a former “high-limit hostess” at a casino. The mother and grandmother, whose now deleted Facebook page was full of photos with family members and trips overseas, was described by police as a 4’11” Asian woman. She was described as a “companion” of the still unidentified shooter. Police stopped short of calling Danley a suspect in the early morning hours of October 2, but they said they wanted to talk to her about the carnage.
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Update 2 (7:15am): Shortly after the White House said that the president was being briefed on the Vegas mass shooting tragedy, Trump tweeted: "My warmest condolences and sympathies to the victims and families of the terrible Las Vegas shooting. God bless you!"
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Update 1 (6:45am): In a press briefing, Las Vegas Sheriff Lombardo said that the death toll from the gruesome shooting has risen to at least 50, with more than 200 injured. Additionally, Lombardo said that the now deceased shooter was identified as 64-year-old Stephen Paddock, resident of Mesquite, Nevada.
The sheriff added that “we are confident but not 100% sure that we have located the female person of interest.”
According to the AP, the revised death toll makes the Las Vegas concert tragedy was the deadliest shooting in the United States since 49 people were killed at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida in June 2016.
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At least 20 people were killed and more than 100 wounded after a gunman on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay casino opened fire on an outdoor music festival on the Las Vegas Strip late Sunday, according to the WSJ. Police said they were first alerted to reports of an incident at 10:08 p.m. and then determined there was a shooter on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino who was targeting the nearby Route 91 Harvest Festival.
Officers confronted the suspect at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino across the street from the concert, Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said.
Authorities say the man died. Police did not release the suspect's name but said he was a local resident.
Lombardo said they believe this was a "lone wolf" attack but said they were looking for a roommate of the dead suspect as a person of interest. The two slain off-duty officers were attending the concert, Lombardo said. An on-duty officer was in critical condition and another was wounded, Lombardo said.
Concertgoers reported seeing muzzle flashes from the 32 floor of the Mandalay Bay across Las Vegas Boulevard from the country music festival and the sound of what they described as automatic gunfire.
Chilling Video footage captured the moment an active shooter opened fire at the concert on the Las Vegas strip.
Witnesses said they saw multiple victims as they fled the gunfire raining down on the concert venue. Some later huddled in the basement of the nearby Tropicana hotel-casino.
Police are also trying to locate a female companion, who they named as Marilou Danley, who was traveling with the suspect.
“We are comfortable that the primary aggressor in this event has expired, or passed away, and is no longer a threat,” Sheriff Lombardo said. “We are pretty confident there is no longer a threat.”
In a statement, the Mandalay Bay said that "law enforcement requested that we put hotels in the vicinity on lockdown to ensure guest safety."
University Medical Center of Southern Nevada spokeswomna Danita Cohen said that her hospital had received approximately 50 patients from the scene, two of whom had died, and “several” were in critical condition. Local television news reports showed crowds of people in Las Vegas ducking for cover as the sound of rapid gunshots rang out, while dozens of patrol vehicles descended on the Strip.
The Mandalay Bay is at the far southern end of the Las Vegas Strip, the four-mile-long bustling tourist corridor lined with casinos, restaurants and other attractions. The resort and surrounding area is adjacent to McCarran International Airport. The airport temporarily suspended all flights because of the incident before partially reopening, it said in posts on its verified Twitter account.Witnesses tell me people were getting shot around them #LasVegas @news3lv pic.twitter.com/xUOELxFupH— Nathan O'Neal (@NateNews3LV) October 2, 2017
Jose Baggett, 31, a Las Vegas resident, said he and a friend were in the lobby of the Luxor hotel-casino — directly north of the festival — when people began running. He said people were crying and as he and his friend walked away, they encountered police checkpoints where officers were carrying shotguns and assault rifles.
"There were armored personnel vehicles, SWAT vehicles, ambulances, and at least a half-mile of police cars," Baggett said.
Some officers took cover behind their vehicles while others carrying assault rifles ran into the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino. Authorities shut down part of the Las Vegas Strip and Interstate 15.
Witnesses say country singer Jason Aldean was playing near the end of the concert when gunfire rang out. Hours after the shooting, Aldean posted on Instagram that he and his crew were safe and said the shooting was "beyond horrific."
Several officers from California were attending the music festival. A Bakersfield police officer was shot and taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Kodiak Yazzie, 36, said he and his girlfriend were watching Aldean's performance when he heard what sounded like fireworks. The music stopped temporarily and started up again before another round of pops sent the performers ducking for cover and fleeing the stage. Thousands fled as bursts of gunfire could be heard for more than five minutes, Yazzie said.
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