50 Killed And 406 Injured In Las Vegas

A gunman fired a barrage of bullets on an outdoor country music festival in Las Vegas Sunday night, killing at least 50 people and injuring more than 400 others, police said, in the worst mass shooting in modern American history.

From his room on the 32nd floor of a glitzy hotel, the shooter, identified by law enforcement officials as Stephen Paddock, 64, of Mesquite, Nevada, fired shot after shot down on the crowd of more than 22,000, sending terrified concertgoers running for their lives.

“We heard what sounded like firecrackers going off. Then all of a sudden we heard what sounded like a machine gun. People started screaming that they were hit… When we started running out there were probably a couple hundred [people] on the ground,” said a witness.

"People kept dropping and dropping… People were getting shot one foot away from us," she said. “People were trying to save their friends. There were gunshots everywhere. Helping them would’ve meant that we got shot, too.”

Officials said it was unclear when Paddock checked into the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, and whether he had specifically requested a room on a high floor that overlooked the concert venue.

Police responded to reports of the shooting just after 10 p.m. (1 a.m. ET), and fatally shot the suspect in the hotel, officials said.

The shooting is not believed to be connected to international terrorism.

Authorities said they found "multiple" weapons in Paddock’s room after using explosives to enter. It was not immediately clear what kinds of weapons were found.

The shooting started while performer Jason Aldean was onstage, Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said at a news conference.

At least one off-duty Las Vegas police officer was shot, Lombardo said. Several other off-duty police officers are believed to be among the dead and injured.

Police have located Paddock’s roommate, Marilou Danley, 62, Lombardo said. They also found two vehicles related to the investigation: a Hyundai Tuscon and a Chrysler Pacifica Touring, both with Nevada license plates.