Las Vegas Strip Shooting Becomes the Worst Mass Shooting in U.S. History

UPDATE: 59 Killed and 500 More Injured in Las Vegas Shooting

At least 50 are dead and 400 more are injured after shots rang out from 32nd floor window into a crowd of concert-goers.

  • Oct 02, 2017

[UPDATE: October 3, 8:30 a.m.]

Police have now confirmed that 59 people have died and over 500 people were wounded in what is now the most deadly mass shooting in modern American history.

Assistant Clark County Sheriff Todd Fasulo told reporters Monday night that Stephen Paddock was "soley responsible for their heinous act." Police found 23 firearms in Paddock's room at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino and found 19 more at his home.

Paddock is believed to have checked into his hotel room on Thursday, September 28. It was not clear if he had requested the room overlooking the Route 91 country music concert series down below.

As of Monday morning, just hours after the carnage of the night before, two broken windows could be seen from the 32nd floor of the hotel, curtains billowing out. Police believe that Paddock had connecting rooms or the suite that ran between the windows, firing out of both, either to get a different vantage point or to avoid return fire.

Police said Paddock smashed the windows with something similar to a hammer before firing down into the crowd of 22,000 people as country music star Jason Aldean began his song, "When She Says Baby."

President Trump ordered the flags to be flown at half-staff on Monday and announced he would be visiting Las Vegas to speak with law enforcement on Wednesday. Trump called the shooting an "act of pure evil."

Senior law enforcement officials and a Las Vegas casino executive told NBC News that Paddock had made several large gambling transactions in recent weeks, including some of more than $30,000 a day. It was not known if there was any losses or wins.

The original story is below.

A lone gunman fired down from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino into a crowd of nearly 22,000 concert-goers on Sunday night killing at least 50 people and injuring more than 400 more in what is now being considered the worst mass shooting in American history.

According to police, Stephen Paddock, a 64-year-old from Mesquite, Nevada, fired into the crowd of people enjoying the Route 91 concert festival at around 10:08 p.m. local time sending those below into a panic.

Witnesses of the incident told reporters that they believed the shots were firecrackers at the time. It wasn’t until people starting screaming out that they’d been hit did others begin to realize the sounds were those of an automatic weapon. Video of the event clearly recorded at least three clips being empty out into the crowd. Jason Aldean and his band did not quit playing until the second round of shots rang out.

Police found multiple weapons in Paddock’s room, which he checked into on September 28, after using explosives to enter. Paddock himself was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. 

At least one off-duty Las Vegas police officer was shot and several other off-duty officers are believed to be among the dead and injured. 

Country stars Jake Owen and Chris Young just feet away backstage as the shots rang out. 

Owen told reporters that the chaos lasted nearly ten minutes. Owen said he passed several people covered in blood before he got to shelter in a bus, by then the shooting still hadn’t stopped.

According to Las Vegas police, the shooting has no ties to terrorism. 

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