At least 20 dead, 100 injured at shooting on Las Vegas Strip

[bashfulpixie]

I can't even imagine how terrified those poor people had to be.

Is it bad my first thought after reading this was "please let this be a white, Christian male? Because otherwise you know the Orange Menace will use it to fuel his anti-brown-people agenda. 

Plus, this will knock Puerto Rico even further from the news, which is the last thing they need. 

Too much bad stuff going on in the world. 

 

At least 20 dead, 100 injured at shooting on Las Vegas Strip, police say

Police arrived at the Las Vegas Strip, responding to reports of an active shooter in the area Oct. 2. Police arrived at the Las Vegas Strip, responding to reports of an active shooter in the area Oct. 2. (The Washington Post)

Police arrived at the Las Vegas Strip, responding to reports of an active shooter in the area Oct. 2. (The Washington Post)

A gunman opened fire on concertgoers at a country music festival on the Las Vegas Strip Sunday night, killing at least 20 people and injuring “in excess of 100″ others before dying during a standoff with police, authorities said.

Witnesses told the Associated Press that the gunshots were fired from the upper floors of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino around 10 p.m. local time. Police said they confronted the gunman shortly after on the hotel’s 32nd floor.

Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said police believe the suspect, a local resident, was a “lone wolf” who acted on his own.  He but did not identify the gunman and declined to give further details about him.

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.

Lombardo said authorities were searching for a woman named Marilou Danley who was said to be the gunman’s “traveling companion.” The sheriff said authorities were also looking for two cars, a Hundai Tuscon and a Chrysler Pacifica Touring, both with Nevada plates.

He called on witnesses to turn over “any cellphone video” that might assist authorities. The FBI is also involved in the investigation.

“It’s a devastating time,” Lombardo said at a news conference early Monday morning. “We have responded to the scene, and we’re doing the best we can to provide safety to the survivors.”

A witness to the shooting, Ivetta Saldana, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that Aldean was rushed off stage when the shots rang out. “It was a horror show,” she said. “People were standing around, then they hit the floor.”

Videos posted to Twitter from people claiming to be witnesses showed people screaming and running for cover amid the sound of gunshots. The shooting continued intermittently for more than five minutes, according to the Associated Press.

“The gunfire never ended, it seemed like,” concert attendee Rachel Dekerf told CNN. “It just went on and on and on.”

Police converged on the area and blocked off roads. Some officers could be seen taking cover behind squad cars as other officers ran into the casino, the Associated Press reported.

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About 50 people were taken to University Medical Center, a spokeswoman said in an email to The Washington Post.  Two of the patients died, and several are in critical condition, she said.

Among the more than 100 injured was an officer with the Bakersfield Police Department in Southern California, who was taken to a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, according to a news statement. Several of the department’s officers were off-duty and attending the concert when the gunfire erupted.

Multiple flights bound for the McCarran International Airport were diverted because of the shooting, the airport tweeted. All other planes were temporarily grounded, with a few flights resuming Monday morning.

The Route 91 Harvest Festival has been held for the past four years on a 15-acre lot across an intersection from Mandalay Bay. The concert’s main stage is situated near the northeastern side of the gold-colored hotel-casino, which towers more than 400 feet above the Strip.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/10/02/police-shut-down-part-of-las-vegas-strip-due-to-shooting/?utm_term=.799f41745e7c

 

[Destiny]

Clearly, the only solution is to have everyone at the concert have had a gun to shoot back!

I'm so tired of this shit. I can't even muster sadness anymore. I'm just kind of numb. *sigh

[Fascinated]

My husband and I were in LV just two weeks ago. Every time we walked along the strip we paid attention to the vehicles. The strip would be an ideal candidate for a car attack - there are always hundreds of people waiting to cross busy intersections. But, I was not on the lookout for a gun-toting madman. This is horrific.  So many families going through hell today.  

[Fascinated]

Jesus, now it is being reported that at least fifty are dead. 

[Gobbles]

German media reports at least 50 death people and more than 200 hurt. 

EDIT: I read a headline where it said that he was able to shoot for 20 minutes. No idea if that is true or not. 

[formergothardite]

2 hours ago, bashfulpixie said:

Is it bad my first thought after reading this was "please let this be a white, Christian male? Because otherwise you know the Orange Menace will use it to fuel his anti-brown-people agenda. 

That was one of my first thoughts too. If this is a Muslim Trump will be all over this stirring up hatred. We don't need more racism fueled in our country right now. 

This whole thing is just too awful, but this no matter how many die, this won't lead to stricter gun laws. 

[Howl]

CNN is also reporting 50 dead and 200 injured (Monday 6:34 am).  Perp is named Stephen Paddock, and apparently has a criminal past and was known to local law enforcement. 

From The Guardian: 

Quote

 

• The shooter was named by police as Stephen Paddock, 64. Several rifles were found in his room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel, from where he fired multiple rounds at concertgoers at the Route 91 harvest country music festival.
• Paddock was described as a “lone wolf” with no known links to terrorist groups. His motives are unknown. A Swat team used a controlled explosion to enter his hotel room before shooting him dead.

Trump has delayed his trip to Puerto Rico to fly to Vegas. 

[SnazzyNazzy]

This is just horrible. I know it's petty of me, but I'm going to be hella pissed, if they don't call this domestic terrorism. They probably won't, since it's an old white guy, that did this.

[47of74]

And of course fuck face shows a hell of a lot more concern over this than he did over PR.  

[unsafetydancer]

3 hours ago, bashfulpixie said:

Is it bad my first thought after reading this was "please let this be a white, Christian male? Because otherwise you know the Orange Menace will use it to fuel his anti-brown-people agenda. 

I had the same thought when I woke up to this. They're now calling him a "lone wolf" so chances are he was white

[GreyhoundFan]

1 hour ago, Gobbles said:

EDIT: I read a headline where it said that he was able to shoot for 20 minutes. No idea if that is true or not. 

One of the law enforcement analysts on CNN pointed out that they had to narrow down which floor/room he was shooting from and quietly evacuate the people in nearby rooms before they breached the gunman's door. They found at least eight automatic and semi-automatic weapons in the room.

58 minutes ago, Howl said:

 Trump has delayed his trip to Puerto Rico to fly to Vegas. 

Of course he did. He didn't want to go to Puerto Rico. He can go to Vegas and stay in his hotel, which has electricity and running water. Oh, and there are lots of nice golf courses for him to play.

[klabourdeth]

That was one of my first thoughts too. If this is a Muslim Trump will be all over this stirring up hatred. We don't need more racism fueled in our country right now. 

This whole thing is just too awful, but this no matter how many die, this won't lead to stricter gun laws. 

 

Hoping the shooter was white was the first words out of mouth about this shooting. I did the same for San Bardino & Orlando.

 

 

Anyone else scared how Trump & GOP controlled government going to handle this? Right now (7:56 am) MSNBC is reporting 50 dead & over 400 taken to hospitals.

 

 

Although I feel kind of guilty because mere hours prior to this event I was pondering what it's going to take for a change to our attitudes about guns.

[GrumpyGran]

15 minutes ago, GreyhoundFan said:

One of the law enforcement analysts on CNN pointed out that they had to narrow down which floor/room he was shooting from and quietly evacuate the people in nearby rooms before they breached the gunman's door. They found at least eight automatic and semi-automatic weapons in the room.

Of course he did. He didn't want to go to Puerto Rico. He can go to Vegas and stay in his hotel, which has electricity and running water. Oh, and there are lots of nice golf courses for him to play.

Told you he'd find a way to avoid going to PR. Well, at least Melania can keep her heels on.

CBS said they were able to locate him because the smoke detector was going off in the room. This is why I avoid crowded places. Nuts like this have an easy target. Kudos to the LVPD for getting to him as fast as they did. With all of the weapons he had, he could have kept going for an hour or more.

He might have had issues with a hotel on the strip? But it doesn't seem like it was the Mandalay.

So, can we talk about gun control now, Congress? *crickets* Thought so.

[singsingsing]

Woke up to the news this morning. Sometimes there are just no words.

Shooter has been confirmed to be a white male, by the way. No word on motive yet.

[SnazzyNazzy]

4 minutes ago, singsingsing said:

Woke up to the news this morning. Sometimes there are just no words.

Shooter has been confirmed to be a white male, by the way. No word on motive yet.

I'm sure there is a manifesto somewhere. You know those crazy white people, just love their manifestos.

[Ali]

1 hour ago, 47of74 said:

And of course fuck face shows a hell of a lot more concern over this than he did over PR.  

The choice was between white English speaking people who can vote for president in 2020 and brown Spanish speaking people who can't vote for president in 2020. Isn't the choice obvious?

I hate waking up to see another mass shooting and I feel frustrated that nothing will be done about gun control. I am too am relieved that the shooter was white. I hope for that every time I hear about another one. 

[GrumpyGran]

7 minutes ago, Ali said:

Isn't the choice obvious?

Don't forget, Melania will be able to wear something incredibly fashionable. Yeah, got to keep those Nevada voters. What could he possibly do in Las Vegas to help the situation? Melania will visit the injured in the hospital. When they ask her why that white man shot them she'll say "ALL white men are crazy. Get better."

Not sure how he's going to be able to use his limited vocabulary to sound concerned without ending up making it sound like this was a "tremendous" event.

[47of74]

The choice was between white English speaking people who can vote for president in 2020 and brown Spanish speaking people who can't vote for president in 2020. Isn't the choice obvious?

Yeah you can break out the same pigment chart they used on family guy and rename it to the trump level of concern card.

[singsingsing]

Hold up, Puerto Ricans can't vote for president??? What the hell, someone please clue in this ignorant Canadian, how are these people represented?!

[fraurosena]

I feel for all those victims and their families and loved ones, I really do. But, I'm sorry, America, I'm not surprised at this at all anymore. It's your own doing, taking the second amendment way to far.

Apparently Joy Reid agrees.

It's shocking to read the Nevada Gun Law Basics. It's even more shocking that people are shocked that these mass shootings keep on happening. 

And nothing will change. When the random shooting of kindergarteners (Sandy Hook) doesn't change gun laws, then nothing will. Even if this shooting today turns out to be a hundred deaths, or 200, or even a thousand. Nothing will change.

It makes me angry, and sad, and then angry all over again. Human life apparently means nothing to the gun lobbyists. 

[AnywhereButHere]

4 hours ago, bashfulpixie said:

I can't even imagine how terrified those poor people had to be.

Is it bad my first thought after reading this was "please let this be a white, Christian male? Because otherwise you know the Orange Menace will use it to fuel his anti-brown-people agenda. 

Plus, this will knock Puerto Rico even further from the news, which is the last thing they need. 

Too much bad stuff going on in the world. 

 

 

Add me to the list of people who was hoping it was a crazy, white guy doing the shooting. God knows they won't call it terrorism, although I'm sure the people in the crowd were pretty terrified. Complete sarcasm here, but I can't wait to see how they're going to say he's been "disenfranchised" by the system, and he snapped. We only care about what makes some people tick...

 

58 minutes ago, klabourdeth said:

...

Although I feel kind of guilty because mere hours prior to this event I was pondering what it's going to take for a change to our attitudes about guns.

Much as I hope, I don't think this will do it. If a school full of children didn't. Hell, shooting congressmen didn't do it. Gun people just seem to double down every time. Soon we'll be like the old west out here.  

17 minutes ago, GrumpyGran said:

Don't forget, Melania will be able to wear something incredibly fashionable. Yeah, got to keep those Nevada voters. What could he possibly do in Las Vegas to help the situation? Melania will visit the injured in the hospital. When they ask her why that white man shot them she'll say "ALL white men are crazy. Get better."

Not sure how he's going to be able to use his limited vocabulary to sound concerned without ending up making it sound like this was a "tremendous" event.

Do you think he'll even pretend to be concerned anymore? Even he has to realize that his supporters don't care if he acts like the shit he is. MSNBC was billing it as the deadliest mass shooting in the US, so I'm sure in his tone deaf way, he'll be all over that classification.

My heart goes out to the families of the victims who died and also to those who were told their loved ones made it to the hospital only to find out they died later. Having that moment of hope ripped away is devastating. My thoughts and prayers go out to the injured.

[GrumpyGran]

27 minutes ago, singsingsing said:

Hold up, Puerto Ricans can't vote for president??? What the hell, someone please clue in this ignorant Canadian, how are these people represented?!

It's a territory, not a state. They have a representative who is in DC but has no voice there. I believe they voted to become a state in the recent past but it has to be approved by Congress. The people of Puerto Rico tend to favor Democratic ideals so that would mean two more Senators, likely Democrat and at least 1 representative, also likely Democrat. Republican controlled Congress doesn't want that.

[singsingsing]

2 minutes ago, GrumpyGran said:

It's a territory, not a state. They have a representative who is in DC but has no voice there. I believe they voted to become a state in the recent past but it has to be approved by Congress. The people of Puerto Rico tend to favor Democratic ideals so that would mean two more Senators, likely Democrat and at least 1 representative, also likely Democrat. Republican controlled Congress doesn't want that.

I know it's a territory, but it's insane that they have (I'm assuming) all of the responsibilities of U.S. citizens but not all of the rights. That seems unjust.

[GrumpyGran]

28 minutes ago, fraurosena said:

Human life apparently means nothing to the gun lobbyists. 

Sitting in a room now, brainstorming on how they can use this to sell more guns. It's going to be difficult to spin this into a message that if the people at the concert just had high-powered rifles, they could have fired back. Yeah, not a good idea in anybody's deluded head.

The news is asking how he got 10 high-powered rifles up to his room. I'm guessing he just slung them over his shoulder and took the elevator. America.

4 minutes ago, singsingsing said:

I know it's a territory, but it's insane that they have (I'm assuming) all of the responsibilities of U.S. citizens but not all of the rights. That seems unjust.

It is an odd situation. They don't pay federal income tax but they do pay into Medicare and our Social Security. Most territories have strategic military value to our country because of their location, so they make sense to the government but statehood would cause a shift in political power. As I said, they'd like to be a state but Congress says no.

Dumpy is going to speak, probably in 20 minutes or so. Oh, dear God. If it's longer than a tweet, it will be a disaster. Everybody brace yourselves.

[klabourdeth]

Hold up, Puerto Ricans can't vote for president???

Unless you are apart the 50 States then your vote in the November Presidential doesn't count towards the Electoral College aspect. Washington DC just recently got the ability to have their presidential elections votes to matter. For Puerto Rico & other US control land the November election is just a straw poll. But their primary votes the party candidates does count. Another thing that sucks for them is that their congressional rep has no voting power. Although if you are born in those areas you receive American citizenship.

I feel for all those victims and their families and loved ones, I really do. But, I'm sorry, America, I'm not surprised at this at all anymore. It's your own doing, taking the second amendment way to far.
...

It's shocking to read the Nevada Gun Law Basics. It's even more shocking that people are shocked that these mass shootings keep on happening. 
And nothing will change. When the random shooting of kindergarteners (Sandy Hook) doesn't change gun laws, then nothing will. Even if this shooting today turns out to be a hundred deaths, or 200, or even a thousand. Nothing will change.

I was doing some reading on Columbine which always gets me thinking that we need to do something. One of discussion points though was how Columbine was probably the peak of being shocked to 'meh' because these shootings are becoming the norm




While I pray and wrote letters to both my Senators & Rep last year following Orlando made me finally lose faith at a dream of a change. Especially when one the replies was along the lines you are a idiot to suggest tighter regulations, because guns sits at the right hand of Jesus. I think I still have copy floating in my inbox & others where at least of the Rep replies heavily imply if you agree with me then you are a moron.