Suspect Paddock. Facebook photo.
At least 58 people were killed in the deadliest mass shooting in US history on Sunday night, when a gunman opened fire on an open-air music festival from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel and casino on the Las Vegas strip.
A further 515 people were injured, Las Vegas police said, as casualty figures continued to rise. The death toll surpasses the Orlando shooting at the Pulse nightclub in June 2016, when 49 people were killed.
The suspected gunman was identified as Stephen Paddock, a 64-year-old local man who police believe booked into the Mandalay Bay on 28 September. He was found dead after officers stormed his room, where they recovered more than 10 guns.
A brother of the suspect living in central Florida, Eric Paddock, said he was “dumbfounded”. “He’s not an avid gun guy at all,” the brother said. “The fact that he had those kind of weapons is just … he has no military background or anything like that.”
Speaking at the White House, Donald Trump called the attack “an act of pure evil”. He did not discuss possible motives for the attack, saying federal and local authorities would provide updates. Nor did he call for new gun control measures or other government action to confront the US epidemic of mass shootings.
“America comes together as one and it always has,” Trump said. “We call upon the bonds that unite us: our faith, our family and our shared values.”
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https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2017/oct/02/las-vegas-two-dead-in-mandalay-bay-casino-shooting-latest-updates
