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Mandalay Bay shooting: at least 20 dead and 100 injured near Las Vegas casino Mandalay Bay shooting: at least 20 dead and 100 injured near Las Vegas casino
(35 minutes later)
At least 20 people are dead and more than 100 injured after a mass shooting at a music festival near the Mandalay Bay casino on the Las Vegas strip.At least 20 people are dead and more than 100 injured after a mass shooting at a music festival near the Mandalay Bay casino on the Las Vegas strip.
Police killed the gunman on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel, said sheriff Joe Lombardo as he gave an updated death toll in a press briefing in the early hours of Monday morning. The suspected gunman was killed by police on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel, across the street from the concert, said the Clark County sheriff, Joe Lombardo.
Lombardo did not release the suspect’s name but said he was a local resident. Authorities were searching for a female companion seen travelling with the suspect before the shootings, he added. Two off-duty officers were among the dead. Lombardo did not release the suspect’s name but said he was a local resident. “We have no idea what his belief system was,” he said. “Right now, we believe he was the sole aggressor and the scene is static.”
Witnesses said they saw multiple victims and dozens of ambulances after shooting broke out on Sunday night during the final performances of the three-day Route 91 Harvest country music festival. Authorities were seeking a woman they named as Marilou Danley. Lombardo gave no details of whether she was suspected of involvement in the attack but described her as an “associate”.
Concertgoers reported seeing muzzle flashes from the upper floors of the Mandalay Bay hotel and casino across Las Vegas Boulevard from the festival and the sound of what they described as automatic gunfire. Marilou Danley is being sought for questioning re the investigation into the active shooter incident. If seen please call 9-1-1! pic.twitter.com/Z83XvcHejH
Witnesses posted video footage on social media of what appeared to be gunfire, and artists at the festival tweeted about hearing gunshots. Two off-duty officers were among the dead, said Lombardo, who added the death toll may rise.
The shooting began during a performance by country music star Jason Aldean. As the 40,000 people in the crowd began to flee, Kodiak Yazzie, 36, said the music stopped temporarily and started up again before another round of gunshots sent the performers ducking for cover and fleeing the stage. Witnesses who fled the scene described seeing multiple victims and dozens of ambulances after gunshots were heard during the final performances of the three-day Route 91 Harvest country music festival on Sunday night.
Yazzie told the Associated Press he took cover and said he saw flashes of light coming from the Mandalay Bay hotel tower high above. They said they could see muzzle flashes from the upper floors of the Mandalay Bay hotel and casino, across Las Vegas Boulevard from the festival, and heard what they described as automatic gunfire.
Mike Thompson, from London, who was on holiday in Las Vegas, described to the BBC the scene following the attack. “It was very obvious it was gunfire coming down into the crowd,” said Jackie Hoffing, who lives in Las Vegas. “It was hysteria. There were people trampled … I was with my husband. He stayed with me. We jumped walls, climbed cars, ran for our lives. I’ve never run that hard or been that scared in my whole life.”
“We were walking back to our hotel, the MGM, after dinner and we saw people running towards us in total panic,” he said. “One man had blood all over him and that’s when I knew something was seriously wrong. I could hear automatic gunfire so I grabbed my partner and we ran to the back streets. People were running and there was chaos.” Desiree Price, visiting the city from San Diego, had blood on her shirt and trousers. “We heard shots like firecrackers,” she said. “I helped someone who was bleeding. Two girls hid behind a car with us right outside the concert. One girl was shot in her leg, the other in her shoulder. It didn’t stop so we all ran – we kept going.”
Some flights have resumed at the city’s McCarran International airport after all planes were temporarily grounded on Sunday evening. The shooting began during a performance by country music star Jason Aldean. As the 40,000 people in the crowd began to flee, the music stopped temporarily and started up again before another round of gunshots sent the performers ducking for cover and fleeing the stage, Kodiak Yazzie, 36, told Associated Press.
Many of those who ran from the festival site sought refuge in nearby motels, parking garages and apartment complexes. At a gas station across the street, survivors reunited with friends. Some were teary eyed, still shaking with fear.
Kevin Kropf, from Orange County, California said: “I stayed in the venue for a long time until there was nobody else there. I saw a Swat team go in and a Swat team go out. I didn’t want to get up because I didn’t want to get mistaken for a bad guy and get shot. So I was just huddling behind a table.
“I saw a couple people on the street covered up with sheets, and them loading one girl into the back of a truck. She was definitely dead … Whoever she was with was in the back of the truck too. He was a mess.”
Some flights resumed at the city’s McCarran international airport on Monday morning after all planes were temporarily grounded on Sunday evening.
Las Vegas city hall said it was a “very sad night for Las Vegas” and warned members of the public to stay away from the south end of the Vegas strip, where the Mandalay Bay hotel and casino is located.Las Vegas city hall said it was a “very sad night for Las Vegas” and warned members of the public to stay away from the south end of the Vegas strip, where the Mandalay Bay hotel and casino is located.
The music festival has been held for the past four years on an 15-acre lot across Las Vegas Boulevard from Mandalay Bay. The music festival has been held for the past four years on the 15-acre lot.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.