More than 50 people were killed and 200 wounded when a gunman opened fire on a concert in Las Vegas, police said on Monday, making it the deadliest mass shooting in US history.
At least 50 dead, 200 injured in #LasVegas mass shooting, police sayhttps://t.co/TuwirVc8JP#mandalay#route91pic.twitter.com/dwsH4O4lwn
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) October 2, 2017
"We are looking at in excess of 50 individuals dead and of 200 individuals injured at this point," Las Vegas Metro Police Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said after Sunday night's shooting at a country music concert in the Nevada gambling hub.
Police run to cover at the scene of the shooting in Las Vegas. AP
Lombardo also told a press conference that the gunman, who was killed after armed police responded to the shooting, had been identified as a local man called Stephen Paddock, 64.
Police also believed that they had located his female companion, Marilou Danley, who had been earlier named as a person of interest.
The Nevada Police said they are confident they have located Danley, the 61-year-old, female of Asian origin who was believed to have known the shooter.
However, Sherrif Lombard added that they are not 100 percent sure of Danley's identity and the probe is still underway.
Revelers screamed and fled in panic as a steady stream of automatic gunfire rang out at the venue shortly after 10.00 pm local time (0500 GMT Monday), footage captured on smart phones showed.
Two of those killed are believed to be off-duty police officers, said Lombardo. The attack has been termed as the deadliest shooting in the United States since 49 people were killed at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida in June 2016.
It was also the latest in a series of recent deadly attacks at concert venues.
Twenty-two people were killed while leaving a concert in the northern English city of Manchester in May when a suicide bomber detonated a nail bomb in the foyer.
Ninety people were killed in November 2015 at the Bataclan venue in Paris during a concert by the US band the Eagles of Death Metal.
According to earlier updates, authorities shut down a part of the Las Vegas Strip and Interstate 15 after receiving reports of an active shooter around Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.
Officer Aden Ocampo-Gomez said that the officials were heading to the scene near Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino as multiple victims were being transported to hospitals.
We're investigating reports of an active shooter near/around Mandalay Bay Casino. Asking everyone to please avoid the area. #LVMPDnews — LVMPD (@LVMPD) October 2, 2017
University Medical Center spokeswoman Danita Cohen told AP that the Las Vegas hospital is taking in "several" people with gunshot wounds.
The final night of the Route 91 Harvest music festival was taking place near Mandalay Bay when the reported shooting took place, NBC reported.
Concert-goers reported seeing muzzle flashes from the upper floors of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino across Las Vegas Boulevard from the country music festival and the sound of what they described as automatic gun fire.
Artists performing at the music festival tweeted they heard gunshots. Witnesses say country singer Jason Aldean was playing near the end of the concert when gunfire rang out.
Active shooter at @Route91Harvest in Vegas. We're safe. Love you guys.
— Luke Combs (@LukeCombsMusic) October 2, 2017
Gun shots!!! Vegas. Pray to god. Love you guys. Love you Pearl.
— Jake Owen (@jakeowen) October 2, 2017
Some flights destined for the McCarran International Airport were diverted due to the shooting.
Mandalay Bay is located on the south end of the Vegas strip on Las Vegas Boulevard and across from McCarran Inernational Airport.
With inputs from agencies
Published Date: Oct 02, 2017 05:28 pm | Updated Date: Oct 02, 2017 05:27 pm
