A gunman opened fire Sunday night at a concert outside a Las Vegas casino hotel, sending people fleeing as SWAT units searched for the attacker and the police investigated reports of shootings elsewhere in the city. At least two people were killed and 24 others injured, hospital officials said.
Reports said that the shooting happened near the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. Video posted online showed a musician performing outside the hotel at Route 91 Harvest, a country music festival, interrupted by the sound of automatic gunfire. The music stopped, and concertgoers ducked for cover. “Get down,” one shouted. “Stay down,” screamed another.
Several SWAT teams were sent to the hotel, and officers reported being pinned down by gunfire, according to emergency radio traffic. Shortly before midnight the Las Vegas Police Metropolitan Police Department reported that “one suspect is down,” and soon thereafter the police said they did not believe there were any more active gunmen.
At this time we do not believe there are any more shooters. More information to come shortly from @Sheriff_LVMPD.
Twenty-six people were admitted to the hospital, Danita Cohen, a spokeswoman for University Medical Center, told The Associated Press. Of those, at least two died, 12 were in critical condition, and the rest were being evaluated, she said.
In the confusion after the shooting, the police also descended on the Ali Baba Restaurant, about a 10-minute drive from the Mandalay Bay, and they also investigated reports of a shooting at the New York-New York Hotel and Casino.
The police reported clearing out the Mandalay Bay’s 29th floor and working their way up to the 32nd floor. A police Twitter post described reports of an “active shooter” near or around the Mandalay Bay casino.
We're investigating reports of an active shooter near/around Mandalay Bay Casino. Asking everyone to please avoid the area. #LVMPDnews
One officer reported that civilians were “trying to take patrol cars,” but it was unclear why.
Two concertgoers, Robyn and Matt Webb, described hearing round after round of gunfire.
“It just kept coming,” Robyn Webb told The Las Vegas Review-Journal. “It was relentless.”
They said they saw about 20 people bleeding in the street.
“That’s when we knew for sure it was real,” Matt Webb said.
The police reported closing off about a mile of Las Vegas Boulevard and asked the public to steer clear of the area.
Police radio reports suggested that at least three people were transported to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center for treatment. The police were told not to bring additional casualties — unless the injuries were life-threatening — to University Medical Center, another nearby hospital, because it was at capacity.
A photo posted by a Las Vegas Review-Journal photographer showed emergency responders carrying off one injured person in a wheelbarrow.
McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas said that some flights destined for the airport were diverted because of police activity. The airport is just east of the Mandalay hotel, and after the shooting there were reports of people fleeing the concert by running onto an airport runway.
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