as Vegas shooting: At least 58 dead in massacre Trump calls 'act of pure evil'

A gunman turned a Las Vegas concert into a killing field Sunday night from his perch on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, using at least 10 guns to rain down a steady stream of fire, murdering at least 58 people and injuring more than 500 others in the deadliest mass shooting in modern United States history.

The suspect, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, was identified as 64-year-old Stephen Paddock, a resident of Mesquite, Nevada. Police initially sought a woman believed to be Paddock's roommate, Marilou Danley, as a "person of interest." Detectives later made contact with her, and "do not believe she is involved with the shooting on The Strip."

Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said an "excess of 10 rifles" were found in the room, but did not immediately reveal a motive, saying "I can't get into the mind of a psychopath at this point."

Paddock had been in the hotel room since September 28, according to Lombardo.The sheriff said a check of federal and state databases showed Paddock was not on law enforcement authorities' radar before the bloodbath.

Authorities said two on-duty Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers were injured during the shooting. One is in stable condition after surgery, and the other sustained minor injuries. Two off-duty police officers attending the concert were killed.

President Trump said the mass shooting "was an act of pure evil," and praised first responders in an address to the nation.

"To the families of the victims, we are praying for you and we are here for you," Trump said, adding that he will visit Las Vegas on Wednesday to meet with first responders and families.

he gunman, who fired down on the Route 91 Harvest Festival from a room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound just as police made entry to the room, according to LVMPD undersheriff Kevin McMahill.

At this time, federal officials do not see any connection to international terrorism and little is known about Paddock's motivation, federal law enforcement sources said. The Islamic State terror group took credit for the Las Vegas shooting, saying the gunman converted to Islam months ago, but provided no evidence back up the claim.

FBI Special agent-in-charge Aaron Rouse said at a news conference the agency has "determined to this point no connection with an international terrorist group."


The gunman's brother, Eric Paddock, told reporters outside his Central Florida home early Monday "an asteroid just fell on us," and said Stephen Paddock has no history of mental illness.
Paddock said his brother is "just a guy" and he "freaked," and had retired to Vegas because he liked gambling.

The Department of Homeland Security said Monday morning that the department is "closely monitoring" and helping partners investigate the tragedy, but at this time has "no information to indicate a specific credible threat involving other public venues in the country."
Attorney General Jeff Sessions spoke with Sheriff Lombardo offering his full support.

Sessions said in a statement he met with FBI Director Christopher Wray early Monday morning.

"To the many families whose lives have been changed forever by this heinous act, we offer you our prayers and our promise that we will do everything in our power to get justice for your loved ones," Sessions said in a statement.

Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval called the massacre a cowardly, despicable act and praised first responders, saying they saved scores of lives.
"We're angry, we're grieving, we're confused, people are hurting," he said.


Authorities first received calls about an active shooting at about 10:08 p.m. Country music star Jason Aldean was performing at the Route 91 Harvest Festival when the gunfire erupted.

Aldean was performing his last song of the night. Initially, those in attendance said they thought the sound was firecrackers. But as the shots continued, Aldean stopped singing and some concertgoers could be heard yelling to each other to get down.

One witness told a local television station that he heard “hundreds of shots.” The gunfire was rapid and reportedly confused with firecrackers.

Firearms experts hesitated Monday to attribute the shooter’s rapid fire from his room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino to an automatic weapon’s fire.
Automatic weapons, sometimes referred to as machine guns, fire a stream of bullets when the trigger is pulled once and held. They differ from semiautomatic weapons, which require one trigger pull for each round fired.

Ryan Cleckner, a former U.S. Army Ranger sniper and author of “Long Range Shooting Handbook,” said the seemingly inconsistent rate of Paddock’s shooting may indicate he was using a device to mimic full-auto fire.
These devices, such as a Slide Fire stock, are legal and can be bought for about $300.

"These devices take advantage of a firearm’s natural recoil to ‘bump-fire’ the firearm thereby mimicking a machine gun without meeting the legal definition.”

Equipping an AR-15, for example, with a Slide Fire stock would be far cheaper and easier than buying a machine gun. Machine guns in the U.S. can cost upwards of $15,000 and require the buyer to undergo a personally intrusive and months-long application process with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Authorities said law enforcement swarmed the hotel and killed the gunman in a room on the 32nd floor. Responding officers used an explosive device to force the door open into the room.