WORST US MASS SHOOTING ‘AN ACT OF PURE EVIL’
President Trump condemns Las Vegas massacre that leaves at least 58 dead and more than 500 wounded
At least 58 people were killed and more than 500 injured when a gunman opened fire on fans at a country music concert from the 32nd floor of a Las Vegas hotel.
Donald Trump condemned the attack – the deadliest mass shooting in US history – as an “act of pure evil”.
The massacre was carried out by Stephen Craig Paddock, 64, a white male from Mesquite, Nevada.
The gunman killed himself in the room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino from where he had carried out his killing spree.
The shooting started as a crowd of more than 22,000 people watched country music star Jason Aldean perform on Sunday night at the end of the threeday Route 91 Harvest Festival.
The crowd screamed and fled in panic as victims dropped to the ground while others hid and crawled under parked cars. Muzzle flashes could be seen from the hotel across Las Vegas Boulevard at the festival site as the sound of automatic gunfire took over.
Swat teams using explosives stormed the gunman’s hotel room in the gold-coloured glass skyscraper and found him dead. He had as many as 10 guns with him, including rifles, authorities said.
The motive for the attack reained unclear. Aaron Rouse, the FBI agent in charge in Las Vegas, said investigators saw no immediate evidence connecting it to an international terrorist organisation, despite a claim of responsibility from ISIL.
Las Vegas mayor Carolyn Goodman said the attack was the work of a “crazed lunatic full of hate”.
Survivors recounted the terrifying moments when they realised an evening of entertainment was descending into a bloodbath.
Kodiak Yazzie, 36, said the music stopped temporarily when the first shots began and then started up again before the second round of pops sent the performers ducking for cover and fleeing the stage.
“It was the craziest stuff I’ve ever seen in my entire life,” she said. “You could hear that the noise was coming from west of us, from Mandalay Bay.
“You could see a flash, flash, flash, flash.”
Monique Dumas, of British Columbia, Canada, said she was at the concert, six rows from the stage, when she thought she heard a bottle breaking, then a burst of pops that sounded liked fireworks.
Images and videos showed hundreds of people soaked in blood and being dragged away by rescuers. Couples held hands as they ran through the dirt car park.
Faces were etched with shock and confusion, and people wept and screamed.
Dozens of ambulances took away the wounded, while some people loaded victims into their cars and drove them to the hospital.
The attack was condemned by leaders around the world, including the UAE and the UK.
Across the United States, messages of unity called for action against gun violence.
Mr Trump stopped short at
calling the shooting an act of terrorism and urged patience for the investigation to conclude. The president said he would travel to Las Vegas tomorrow and ordered flags to be flown at half mast.
“Our unity cannot be shattered by evil, our bonds cannot be broken by violence,” Mr Trump said.
“We call upon the bonds that unite us: our faith, our family and our shared values. We call upon the bonds of citizenship, the ties of community and the comfort of our common humanity.”
Mr Trump praised the emergency services “for their courageous efforts” in helping to save lives and offered condolences to the families of those killed.
“We cannot fathom their pain. We cannot imagine their loss,” he said.
The attack was the latest in a string of mass shootings in the US and immediately reignited calls for tougher gun controls
Democrat figures pointed to loose gun control measures and the administration’s policies as part of their condemnation of the shooting.
“The thoughts and prayers of politicians are cruelly hollow if they are paired with continued legislative indifference. It’s time for congress to get off its ass and do something,” said senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut. The Gun Violence Archive tweeted after the attack that this year alone, gun violence had killed 11,572 people, injured 23,365 and that 271 mass shootings had taken place.
The Las Vegas shooting came as congress debates this week two major laws to loosen gun restrictions on silencers and carrying concealed weapons across state lines.
Asked about the motive for the attack, Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said: “I can’t get into the mind of a psychopath at this point.”
Police found several more weapons at Paddock’s home about 145 kilometres from Las Vegas.
Nevada has some of the most permissive gun laws in the United States. It does not require firearm owners to obtain licences nor register their guns.
Authorities said last night they were no longer looking for the woman who police believe was a companion to the gunman. Police initially said that the 62-year-old woman was Paddock’s roommate, but later said she had been out of the country and was not involved in the shooting.
Hospital emergency rooms were jammed with the wounded. “Every single bed was being used, every single hallway was being used,” said Ruben Kihuen, a Democrat senator who visited one of the hospitals.
The dead included at least three off-duty police officers from various departments who were attending the concert.
Las Vegas authorities put out a call for blood donations and set up a hotline to report missing people and speed the identification of the dead and wounded.
They also opened a “family reunification centre” for people to find loved ones.
The attack brought the city famed for its casinos and entertainment to a standstill. Part of the Las Vegas Strip and a major motorway were shut, and McCarran International Airport temporarily halted flights.
“It’s a devastating time,” the sheriff said.
Before Sunday, the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history took place in June last year, when a gunman who professed support for Muslim extremist groups opened fire at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, killing 49 people.
The attack was the latest in a string of mass shootings in the US and reginited calls for tougher gun controls