2017 Las Vegas shooting
On the night of October 1, 2017, Stephen Paddock fired hundreds of bullets from his hotel room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States at a group of concert-goers across the road at the Route 91 Harvest music festival with and AR-15. From his 32nd floor balcony, Paddock fired over 1000 bullets into the festival. He killed 60 people and wounded 411 before committing suicide. The panic meant that the total injured increased to 867.[2][3] It is the deadliest mass shooting in the history of the United States.[4]
| 2017 Las Vegas shooting | |||||||||
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| Location | Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | ||||||||
| Coordinates | 36°5′42″N 115°10′18″W / 36.09500°N 115.17167°W | ||||||||
| Date | October 1, 2017 c. 10:05 – 10:15 p.m. (PDT; UTC−07:00) | ||||||||
| Target | Audience of the Route 91 Harvest music festival | ||||||||
Attack type | Mass shooting, mass murder, murder–suicide | ||||||||
| Weapons | 24 firearms, including:[1]
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| Deaths | 61 (including the perpetrator) | ||||||||
Injured | 867 (411 by gunfire) | ||||||||
| Perpetrator | Stephen Paddock | ||||||||
| Motive | Unknown | ||||||||
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Background
changePaddock also thought about attacking other events before Las Vegas. He had researched events in Boston since at least May 2017, and had reserved a room near the August 2017 Lollapalooza festival in Chicago, but did not use it.[5][6]
Attack
changeAfter Paddock used a hammer to break two of the windows in both of his suites at the Mandalay Bay, he began shooting through them at 10:05 p.m.[7] He ultimately fired over 1,000 rifle rounds[8] approximately 490 yards (450 m) into the festival audience.[9][10][a] He started out with a few single gunshots before firing in bursts that usually ranged from 80 rounds to 100 rounds. Many people in the crowd thought the gunfire was fireworks.[11] During the shooting, a security fence stopped people from escaping the 15-acre concrete lot.[12] The gunfire continued, with some short pauses, over the span of ten minutes and ended by 10:15 p.m. During these pauses (during reload and while the assailant was confronting Campos), most people at the concert were able to escape the venue.[13][14]
In addition to shooting at the concertgoers, Paddock fired eight bullets at a large jet fuel tank at Harry Reid International Airport 2,000 feet (600 m) away.[15]
At 10:12 p.m., two officers on the 31st floor reported the sounds of gunfire on the floor above them.
Between 10:26 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., eight additional officers arrived at the 32nd floor. At 10:55 p.m., the officers finished evacuating guests. At 11:20 p.m., police breached Room 32–135 with explosives.[16] Paddock was found dead on the floor from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.[2][17] At 11:27 p.m., officers announced over the police radio that a suspect was down.[18]
Perpetrator
changeThe shooter was identified as 64-year-old Stephen Craig Paddock, who lived in Mesquite, Nevada.[19] Police, relatives and neighbors described him as a gambler.[20] When police arrived at his hotel room, Paddock was found dead there; he had killed himself with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. His motive for the shooting is unknown and has not been discovered by investigators.
Reactions
changePresident Donald Trump posted on Twitter of his "warmest condolences and sympathies to the victims and families of the terrible Las Vegas shooting".[21] In a public meeting with the press the next morning, he said the shooting was an "act of pure evil", a "senseless murder" and a "terrible, terrible attack". He praised the "miraculous" quick action of first responders. Later, he met with the victims on October 4, along with their relatives and police.[22]
Notes
change- ↑ For an infographic of what occurred at the venue during the shooting, see the fourth image of: "Las Vegas Shooting: Chaos at a Concert and a Frantic Search at Mandalay Bay". The New York Times. October 2, 2017. Retrieved October 3, 2017..
References
change- ↑ "Las Vegas shooting: This is what investigators found in Stephen Paddock's hotel room". KTNV-TV. January 19, 2018. Archived from the original on February 1, 2018. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Bui, Lynh; Zapotosky, Matt; Barrett, Devlin; Berman, Mark (October 2, 2017). "At least 59 killed in Las Vegas shooting rampage, more than 500 others injured". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 2, 2017. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
- ↑ Newman, Melinda (October 2, 2017). "Jason Aldean Responds To Route 91 Festival Shooting: 'Tonight Has Been Beyond Horrific'". Billboard. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
- ↑ "'It was a horror show': Mass shooting leaves more than 50 dead, 400 wounded on Las Vegas Strip". Las Vegas Review-Journal. October 2, 2017.
- ↑ "Vegas shooter 'forceful' with Chicago hotel manager: TMZ". Chicago Sun-Times. October 6, 2017. Archived from the original on October 26, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
- ↑ "Chicago Lollapalooza was top 'indicator of intent' for Las Vegas shooter". ABC News. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
- ↑ Levenson, Eric (October 24, 2017). "The cold, calculating timeline of the Las Vegas gunman". CNN. Archived from the original on November 18, 2017. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
- ↑ "LVMPD Criminal Investigative Report of the 1 October Mass Casualty Shooting" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 17, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2020 – via www.lvmpd.com.
- ↑ Wagner, Meg; Rocha, Veronica; Wills, Amanda; Grinberg, Emanuella (October 2, 2017). "Las Vegas shooting: Live updates". CNN. Archived from the original on October 2, 2017. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
- ↑ Newman, Melinda (October 2, 2017). "Jason Aldean Responds To Route 91 Festival Shooting: 'Tonight Has Been Beyond Horrific'". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 2, 2017. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
- ↑ Schick, Camilla; Horn, Dave; Cirillo, Chris (October 2, 2017). "Las Vegas Shooting Live Updates: Multiple Weapons Found in Las Vegas Gunman's Hotel Room". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 2, 2017. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
- ↑ "How police zeroed in on the Las Vegas gunman". USA Today. October 7, 2017. Archived from the original on October 7, 2017. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
- ↑ Ho, Sally; Garcia Cano, Regina (October 2, 2017). "'I'm going to die': fear grips Vegas strip; gunman kills 59". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on October 3, 2017. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
- ↑ "Why did it take police so long to breach Las Vegas gunman's room? Here's a new timeline". The Los Angeles Times. October 4, 2017. Archived from the original on October 5, 2017. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
- ↑ German, Jeff (October 5, 2017). "Commissioner calls for security review of jet fuel tanks after Las Vegas Strip shooting". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on October 7, 2017. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
- ↑ Hayes, Christal (October 2, 2017). "Las Vegas Shooting: Cops Took More Than An Hour to Storm Gunman's Room". Newsweek. Archived from the original on October 3, 2017. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
- ↑ Law, James (October 2, 2017). "What we know about Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock". News.com.au. Archived from the original on October 2, 2017. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
- ↑ Lupiani, Joyce (October 2, 2017). "Latest news updates on the mass shooting in Las Vegas". KTNV Las Vegas. Archived from the original on October 4, 2017. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
- ↑ "Suspect in Las Vegas shooting identified as Stephen Paddock". NBC News. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
- ↑ "Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock was a high-stakes gambler who 'kept to himself' before massacre". Washington Post. October 2, 2017.
- ↑ Trump, Donald [@realDonaldTrump] (October 2, 2017). "My warmest condolences and sympathies to the victims and families of the terrible Las Vegas shooting. God bless you!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ↑ Unterberger, Andrew (October 2, 2017). "President Trump Calls Las Vegas Shooting 'An Act of Pure Evil' in National Address: Read the Full Transcript". Billboard.