LAS VEGAS: A gunman killed at least 50 people and wounded more than 200 at a country music festival on the Las Vegas Strip on Sunday, shooting down from the 32nd floor of a hotel, where he was shot dead by police.
Sheriff Joe Lombardo, Las Vegas police, in the latest briefing to the media, has said that the death toll has risen and though they still don’t have an accurate figure, at least 50 have been killed and over 200 injured in the shooting.
Police described the suspect as being a local Las Vegas man who acted alone and was not believed to be connected to any militant group, Lombardo told reporters, reports Reuters.
Police have identified the shooter as Stephen Paddock, born in 1953. They are still looking for his female companion, a woman of Asian origin, earlier identified as Mary Lou Danley.
For families looking for their loved ones, the helpline number is 18665355654.
The attack was the deadliest mass shooting in the United States since a gunman who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State militant group killed 49 people at an Orlando nightclub in June 2016.
“We have no idea what his belief system was,” Lombardo said earlier. “Right now, we believe he was the sole aggressor and the scene is static.”
Authorities were seeking a woman they named as Marilou Danley, he said. He described her as Asian, 4 foot 11 inches (1.5 m) tall, 111 pounds (50 kg). He gave no details of whether she was suspected of involvement in the attack but described her as an “associate”.
VIDEO of Active Shooter at the Tropicana near Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas #MandalayBayShooting #LasVegasShooting #LasVegas #MandalayBay #Luxor pic.twitter.com/1UFHQRJX7M
— PROGRESSIVES 4 (@Democratic_Rep) October 2, 2017
Police were also searching for two cars that belonged to the suspect.
He said rumors of other shootings or explosives such as car bombs in the area were false. Video taken of the attack showed panicked crowds fleeing as sustained rapid gunfire ripped through the area.
Las Vegas’s casinos, nightclubs and shopping are a major draw for some 3.5 million visitors from around the world each year and the area was packed with visitors when the shooting broke out shortly after 10 p.m. (0400 GMT).
Musafir Namah Bureau
