Kiwi pair watch as all hell breaks loose

Witnesses have described the terror and chaos as a gunman began shooting on people at hotels and casinos in Las Vegas yesterday.

New Zealanders Glenn Read and Shena Parks, from Waihi, were about 500m away when the shooting began.

“We were about to do a helicopter ride over Las Vegas when people started running through the front door, panicking,” Read said.

“One was shot in the arm — it was crazy. Everyone was put in a locked helicopter hangar but no one was listening and just panicking.”

After about an hour they were moved 2km down the road but remained in lockdown.

Ben Northrop, of Wellington, had just turned up in Las Vegas for a business meeting.

“We literally drove down the Strip, never been here before, and it all teed off in front of us,” Northrop said.

The first sign of trouble was people running towards them and police heading away.

“There were guys saying there were bullets just gone over their heads. We talked to a woman and the woman next to her had been shot in the head.”

He said he was “just down the road from the Mandalay” and could see people covered in blood who had fled from the shooting.

Northrop and business partner Callum Macleod were in Las Vegas for a conference.

“I can’t believe how crazy it was. The guy beside me has got blood on him from other victims.”

A spokesman for New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Mfat was responding to reports of an active shooter scenario on the Las Vegas strip. He said there were 44 New Zealanders registered on SafeTravel as being in Las Vegas and 2157 in the United States.

“The New Zealand ConsulateGeneral is in contact with the local authorities. There are no indications at this stage that any New Zealanders have been caught up in the incident.

“Any New Zealanders in the vicinity are advised to stay indoors, follow any instructions issued by the local authorities and let their family in New Zealand know they’re okay.

“New Zealanders who require consular assistance are advised to contact the New Zealand ConsulateGeneral in Los Angeles: +1 310 566 6555.”