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A gunman in a high-rise hotel opened fire on concertgoers at a country music festival on the Las Vegas Strip late Sunday, killing 59 people and injuring 527 in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
The gunman, identified as Stephen Paddock, 64, of Mesquite, Nev., killed himself after the rampage, a law enforcement official said.
The sniper-style gunfire rained down from the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino around 10 p.m. local time, police said. Police said they confronted the gunman shortly after on the hotel’s 32nd floor.
The gunman previously was known to local police for past run-ins with law enforcement, according to people familiar with the investigation. Recordings of the attack suggest the suspect used an automatic weapon.
The shooting occurred at the end of the Route 91 Harvest Festival, a three-day country music concert held over the weekend that reportedly drew 30,000 attendees. The concert grounds are adjacent to Mandalay Bay. The shots began as Jason Aldean, one of the final performers, was playing.
Without providing any evidence to support the claim, the Islamic State group on Monday said the gunman was “a soldier” from its ranks who had converted to Islam months ago.
Authorities have yet to identify a motive for the shooting, and said initially there was no evidence of any connection to international terrorism.
President Donald Trump has ordered that flags be flown at half-staff to honor the victims until sunset on Oct. 6.
The proclamation covers flags at the White House and all public buildings, military posts, naval stations and naval vessels throughout the United States and all territories. It also extends to embassies, military facilities and other sites overseas.
In a somber address from the White House on Monday morning, Trump said: “Our unity cannot be shattered by evil” and “our bonds cannot be broken by violence.”
In Las Vegas, Sheriff Joseph Lombardo urged witnesses to turn over “any cellphone video” that might assist authorities. The FBI is also involved in the investigation.
“It’s a devastating time,” Lombardo said at a news conference early Monday. “We have responded to the scene, and we’re doing the best we can to provide safety to the survivors.”
A witness to the shooting, Ivetta Saldana, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that Aldean was rushed offstage when the shots rang out. “It was a horror show,” she said. “People were standing around, then they hit the floor.”
Aldean posted an Instagram message that he and his crew were safe. The scene, he wrote, was “beyond horrific.”
Videos posted to Twitter from people claiming to be witnesses showed people screaming and running for cover amid the sound of gunshots. The shooting continued intermittently for more than five minutes, according to the Associated Press.
“The gunfire never ended, it seemed like,” concert attendee Rachel Dekerf told CNN. “It just went on and on and on.”
Police converged on the area and blocked off roads. Some officers took cover behind squad cars as other officers ran into the casino, the AP reported.
About 50 people were taken to University Medical Center, a spokeswoman said in an email to The Washington Post. Two of the patients died, and several were in critical condition, she said.
Among the 515 injured was an off-duty officer with the Bakersfield Police Department in Southern California, who was taken to a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, according to a news statement. Several of the department’s officers were off-duty and attending the concert when the gunfire erupted.
Multiple flights bound for the McCarran International Airport were diverted because of the shooting, the airport tweeted. All other planes were temporarily grounded, with a few flights resuming Monday morning.
The Route 91 Harvest Festival has been held for the past four years on a 15-acre lot across an intersection from Mandalay Bay. The concert’s main stage is situated near the northeastern side of the gold-colored casino and high-rise hotel complex, which towers more than 400 feet above the Strip.
Three hours after the shooting, Aldean said in an Instagram post: “My Thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved tonight. It hurts my heart that this would happen to anyone who was just coming out to enjoy what should have been a fun night.”
Security measures at many music venues have been boosted in recent years after concerts have been hit by terrorism strikes.
