Plan B Forum

Las Vegas shooting leaves at least 50 dead

LAS VEGAS – A shooting at a music festival on the Las Vegas Strip killed at least 50 people and wounded more than 200 others late Sunday, Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo said.

It was the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.

He said the man authorities think was the sole gunman was killed by police on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino across Las Vegas Boulevard from the Route 91 Harvest Festival, a country music festival.

"We believe it's a solo actor. A lone wolf," Lombardo said.

He said the gunman is an area resident.

Law enforcement sources told CBS News a search warrant has been issued for the home of the shooter, identified as Stephen Paddock, 64, of Mesquite, Nevada.

Two law enforcement sources told CBS News senior investigative producer Pat Milton that at this point, it doesn't appear the shooting was an act of terrorism. The suspect was known to police in Mesquite and had a criminal history, the sources said.

Lombardo said authorities believe they had found a traveling companion of the deceased gunman they were seeking, who Lombardo identified as Marilou Danley. Law enforcement sources tell Milton that Danley was Paddock's wife.

Lombardo added that authorities had tracked down two vehicles believed associated with the shooting.

Dozens of patrol vehicles descended on the Strip after authorities received reports of an active shooter near the festival.

Concert-goers reported seeing muzzle flashes from the upper floors of the Mandalay Bay [Our favorite place to stay in Vegas] and the sound of what they described as automatic gunfire.

Fifty people were admitted to the University Medical Center, a spokesperson told CBS News. Of those, at least two died and several were in critical condition, the spokesperson added.

CBS News has been told at least three other area hospitals were taking in shooting victims.

Scooter wrote:Police won't call it "terrorism" because, you know, old white guy.

Scooter wrote:Police won't call it "terrorism" because, you know, old white guy.

Who Is Stephen Paddock, the Las Vegas Shooting Suspect?

Here’s what we know:

• Mr. Paddock was found dead on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, the police said, and authorities believe he committed suicide.

• At least 10 guns were found in Mr. Paddock’s hotel room, including several rifles.

• Mr. Paddock was a resident of Mesquite, Nev., about 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas. Quinn Averett, a spokesman for the Mesquite police, said the department has had no previous contact with Mr. Paddock.

• The Las Vegas police also had nothing more than a routine traffic violation on Mr. Paddock, according to Kevin McMahill, the department’s undersheriff.

• Mr. Paddock’s residence was expected to be searched Monday morning.

• A companion of Mr. Paddock’s was questioned by the Las Vegas police but was not believed to have been involved in the shooting.

• The shooting began around 10:08 p.m. local time, the police said. The authorities estimated that 406 people were transported to hospitals. There were more than 22,000 people at the concert.
What we don’t know:

• The suspect’s motive is unclear.

• It is not yet clear whether the suspect planned the shooting alone or was working with others.

• The authorities have not announced whether the suspect had any ties to domestic or international terrorist groups.

Big RR wrote:And it does appear that he was shooting one or more fully automatic weapons, weapons that are illegal in all 50 states except under very strict circumstances (as I recall, only older automatic weapons (manufactured before some time in the 60s as I recall) can be acquired and then only through a specially licensed dealer and only after an extensive background check; they cannot be sold privately or given away (even to family members) and you must have a specially licensed dealer designated to receive the automatic weapon on your death (you cannot will it to anyone either, at least without going through the red tape of a transfer and background check). Automatic weapons owned by the public are, thus, very limited and very expensive. My guess is that it will turn out he used illegally acquired automatic weapons (and mere possession of such are punishable by lengthy federal prison terms).

Not to mention — this does not sound like he was using a handgun or even an easily-concealed machine pistol like a German MP40 or an Uzi. So how did he get his chosen weapons and what must have been literally hundreds, if not thousands, of rounds of ammunition into his 32nd floor firing point? Nobody in the hotel got even the least bit suspicious?

Mandalay Bay has 3,309 hotel rooms, 24 elevators and a casino of 135,000 square feet

Big RR wrote:and with over 3300 rooms (and an open to the public casino) and people coming and going at all hours, it would be next to impossible to screen everyone entering and leaving to check what is going in and out (unless you wanted a line down the strip).