Local News

Shooting on the Las Vegas Strip Leaves at Least 58 Dead and Hundreds Injured

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Tony Maples Photography

 

The nation is reeling this morning after news broke of a shooting overnight at a country music festival on the Las Vegas strip. As of this time, there are 58 confirmed deaths and over 500 wounded in the tragedy. The death toll in this incident is said to be the highest in modern American history. The gunman, identified as 64-year-old Stephen Paddock of Mesquite, Nevada, is thought to the be the only gunman and committed suicide at the site of the shootings.

Details Emerge as Daylight Breaks

Las Vegas strip

Photo: Flickr/Thomas Hawk

As details emerge about the shooter, it has been discovered that Paddock was a resident of Texas for some time, having lived in both Houston and Mesquite, Texas prior to retiring in Nevada. At this time, there is no motive for the crime as police scour the gunman’s home 80 miles outside of Las Vegas.

The shooting happened near the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino (where the gunman was). Online video of the attack showed the singer Jason Aldean’s performance at the Route 91 Harvest Festival, a three-day country music event, being interrupted by the sound of gunfire. The music stopped, and as victims fell bleeding, concertgoers screamed, ducked for cover, or ran. There is no current indication that this act of violence was related to any terror group.

How You Can Help

Las Vegas shooting

Photo: Facebook/El Sol Latino Newspaper

The first and most important thing that you can do is donate blood. The number of victims is still rising, and the hospitals in the Las Vegas area will be overflowing with people who have lost a lot of blood and who will need surgery. There are blood donation centers throughout the state of Nevada, all of which will be working at full steam to provide the necessary supplies for the area hospitals. It also helps to donate blood wherever you are, even if you’re not in Las Vegas.