President Trump addresses the nation after Las Vegas shooting
Posted By RichC on October 2, 2017
What we know so far – 1PM on Monday 10/2/2017
- At least 58 people were killed and more than 515 were injured at an country music festival on the Las Vegas Strip, in the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history.
- The gunman fired for several minutes into a 22,000-person crowd from the windows of a 32nd floor hotel room, in the Mandalay Bay resort. Videos show chaos amid the gunfire, as people scrambled for cover, ran from the stage and struggled to save each other’s lives.
- Police believe the gunman killed himself around the time a Swat team descended on his room. He had checked in there on 28 September, and police found at least 10 weapons with him.
- Authorities identified the shooter as Stephen Paddock, 64, from Mesquite, Nevada, about 80 miles to the north-east. They were searching properties in his name.
- Police do not know the motive behind the shooting; the gunman had no prior record in state or federal databases, save a minor traffic violation. The FBI said they have found “no connection to international terrorist organizations”.
- President Donald Trump called the shooting “an act of pure evil,” and said he will go to las Vegas on Wednesday.
- The gunman’s girlfriend, Marylou Danley, was named as a person of interest but police said the gunman acted alone at the hotel. Danley is abroad and cooperating with police.
- The gunman’s brother expressed horror and shock, saying Paddock had no background with weapons. “No religious affiliation, no political affiliation, he just hung out,” he told television networks. “He’s just a guy who lived in a house in Mesquite, drove down and gambled in Las Vegas.”
- Nevada authorities pleaded for blood donations from people in the Las Vegas area. Governor Brian Sandoval said the scene was “basically a war zone” – “we need blood.”
President Trump has issued a proclamation ordering the American flag to be flown at half-staff.
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