Worst Mass Shooting in US History Leaves More Than 50 Dead, 400 Injured in Las Vegas

by Jake Johnson

A gunman opened fire on a music festival in Las Vegas, Nevada late Sunday, injuring more than 400 people and killing at least 50—the deadliest mass shooting in American history.

Law enforcement identified the lone suspected shooter as Stephen Paddock, a 64 year-old white male. Paddock was later found dead in the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino, located across the street from the concert grounds.

According to Sheriff Joe Lombardo of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Paddock opened fire at the thousands of concertgoers from the 32nd floor of the hotel at around 10:15pm local time. At least eight firearms, along with several long rifles, were reportedly found in Paddock's room.

The Washington Post reports:

The gunman was previously known to local police for past run-ins with law enforcement, according to people familiar with the investigation. Recordings of the attack suggest the suspect used an automatic weapon.

The shooting occurred at the end of the Route 91 Harvest Festival, a three-day country music concert held over the weekend that reportedly drew 30,000 attendees. The concert grounds are adjacent to Mandalay Bay. The shots began as Jason Aldean, one of the final performers, was playing.

Videos of the horrifying scene quickly spread on social media. One witness told the local television station KLAS that "the shots just kept coming."

"Everybody's hiding everywhere, they're hiding under the bleachers, and the stanchions, and anywhere they could," she said.

Several videos caught the moment the first shots were fired.