At least 50 people have been killed and 100 wounded after a gunman opened fire on a country music festival with a fully automatic weapon Sunday night.
A gunman opened fire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel toward an open-air music festival being held close by.
The shooting started just as Jason Aldean began his show at the Route 91 Harvest Festival, a three-day country music festival. Videos posted on social media show Aldean singing as very rapid gunfire begins in the background. He can be seen running from stage as he, and the thousands in the crowd, realized what was happening.
Witnesses reported that a gunman continued to rain bullets on the terrified audience for up to two hours. The victims took the short pauses while the shooter reloaded to run to safety, according to NBC News. Many were trapped in the concert venue as police searched for the gunman.
Police SWAT officers killed the shooter after finding him on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Casino, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said.
“Right now we believe it’s a solo act, a lone wolf attacker,” Lombardo told reporters early Monday. “We are pretty confident there is no longer a threat.”
Aldean called the scene “horrific,” but said he was safe in an Instagram post early Monday. “Tonight has been beyond horrific. I still dont know what to say but wanted to let everyone know that Me and my Crew are safe. My Thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved tonight,” he wrote.
“It hurts my heart that this would happen to anyone who was just coming out to enjoy what should have been a fun night.”
Photo Credit: Getty
