A gunman opened fire on people attending the Route 91 Harvest, a three day country music festival, killing at least 58 and over 500 injuries.
This has been declared the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history.
The gunman has been identified as Stephen Paddock, 64, who lived in a retirement community in Mesquite, Nevada.
The gunman was armed with 10 rifles and fired at the crowd of 22,000 concert goers, taking breaks to reload his weapons. The gunshots were reported to have started at approximately 10:08 pm pacific time zone.
Shooting witnesses reveal that they thought the sounds could be coming from pyrotechnics or fireworks but when they saw those around them begin to fall to the ground, they realized that the sounds they were hearing were gunshots.
Paddock fired several rounds at the festival goers through the window of his hotel room located on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino. The hotel room overlooks the country music festival that was taking place across the street.
Police were searching for a second person of interest, Marilou Danley, who has since been located and spoken to. Danley, who is the girlfriend of the gunman, is currently out of the United States and was determined to have “no involvement at this time” after speaking to officials. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Joe Lombardo reveals that Danley remains a person of interest and faces further questioning upon her return to the country.
The FBI has stated that the gunman had no connection to any international terrorist organizations. ISIS attempted to take responsibility for the tragedy but there was no evidence found to back up their claim.
President Donald Trump gave an address about the deadly attacks saying, “In times such as these I know we are searching for some kind of meaning in the chaos, some kind of light in the darkness,” the president continues with his consolatory statement, “The answers do not come easy. But we can take solace knowing that even the darkest space can be brightened by a single light, and even the most terrible despair can be illuminated by a single ray of hope.”
The motives for this heinous crime are not yet known and the number of casualties continue to rise.
