Standoff ends in Vegas after fatal shooting
Gunman holes up on Strip bus
The normally buzzing Las Vegas Strip screeched to a standstill yesterday after police say a gunman shot two people aboard a double-decker bus, one fatally, before barricading himself inside the vehicle — a terrifying scene that sent panicked visitors inside nearby hotels and casinos rushing to the exits, according to witnesses, including a Boston Herald employee.
“Accidentally, I was in the middle of the whole thing,” said Boston Herald Classified Manager Beth O’Grady, who had just finished running a 5K road race as part of her Vegas vacation.
The after-party for the race, she said, was held on the fourthfloor deck of the Cosmopolitan hotel-casino, which happened to overlook the scene of the shooting.
“If you looked over the edge of the glass partition, you could see the bus that was blockaded by police cars and you could see them gradually shutting down the Strip in every direction,” O’Grady said. “You could see a SWAT team right below the balcony where I was standing ... It didn’t dawn on me to get the hell out of there until the sharp shooters came running in with their giant rifle, saying ‘Everybody out! Everybody out!’ — and I just ran.”
The standoff began about 11 a.m., when the gunman, whose name was not released last night, opened fire inside a doubledecker bus stopped on Las Vegas Boulevard.
Two people were rushed to University Medical Center, where one died, spokeswoman Danita Cohen said. The other victim, she said, suffered minor injuries and was in fair condition.
After the bus was surrounded by armored vehicles and crisis negotiators sent robots to the vehicle, the gunman surrendered without incident just before 3:30 p.m., police said.
Authorities said they believe the man is the only suspect and they’ve ruled out terrorism as a motive. The bus was operated by the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada.
Police say the area was reopened to visitors about 5 p.m.