Las Vegas: More than 50 people were killed and over 200 injured when a gunman opened fire at a country music concert in Las Vegas on Sunday, police said.
The gunman, who police said was a local man, was killed by officers who engaged him in a gunfight. The police officers who responded to reports of multiple gunfire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay, a hotel-casino next to the concert venue in the gambling hub.
The concert-goers screamed and fled in panic as rumbling of automatic gunfire rang out at the venue shortly after 10.00pm local time.
“We are looking at in excess of 50 individuals dead and of 200 individuals injured at this point,” Las Vegas Metro Police Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said after Sunday night’s shooting at a country music concert in the Nevada gambling hub.
Lombardo also told a press conference that the gunman, who was killed after armed police responded to the shooting, had been identified as a local man called Stephen Paddock, 64.
“Two of those killed are believed to be off-duty police officers”, said Lombardo.
“This is an ongoing investigation, but we are comfortable that the primary aggressor in this event … has expired or passed away, and is no longer a threat,” he added.
Police have denied reports of multiple shooters.
“At this time we do not believe there are any more shooters,” the department wrote on Twitter.
However police believe that they have located his female companion who had been earlier named as a person of interest.
Videos circulating on social media purportedly of the Mandalay Bay showed a crowd enjoying a country music concert before what sounded like volleys of automatic gunfire halted the performance, various news reports said.
The shooting is the deadliest in the United States since 49 people were killed at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida in June 2016.
I have no words – only anger. #LasVegas #MandalayBay pic.twitter.com/ignHcgxQQO
— Based Monitored 🇺🇸 (@BasedMonitored) October 2, 2017
Scary as hell! This looks & sounds like a war zone… not the USA! #LasVegas pic.twitter.com/CPc3Wle9I6
— James Wagner (@JamesWagnerTW) October 2, 2017
Massive amounts of gunfire & many casualties in #LasVegas @MandalayBay concert tonight. Feels like I’m watching a repeat of Bataclan attack. pic.twitter.com/nAeFdWr20K
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) October 2, 2017
