User:ElijahPepe/2017 Las Vegas shooting

2017 Las Vegas shooting
Part of mass shootings in the United States
The Las Vegas Village in September 2017
Location	Las Vegas Village Paradise, Nevada
Date	October 1, 2017 (2017-10-01) c. 10:05 p.m. – 10:15 p.m. (PDT)
Target	Attendees of the Route 91 Harvest music festival
Attack type	Mass shooting, murder–suicide, mass murder
Weapons	24 firearms: 14 .223-caliber AR-15-type rifles Eight .308-caliber AR-10-type rifles .308-caliber bolt-action rifle .38-caliber revolver
Deaths	61
Injured	≈ 867
Perpetrators	Stephen Paddock
Motive	Unknown

The 2017 Las Vegas shooting was a mass shooting perpetrated by Stephen Paddock that took place on October 1, 2017, at the Route 91 Harvest music festival in Paradise, Nevada. During country music singer Jason Aldean's closing performance, Paddock opened fire on the attendees of the festival from the Mandalay Bay hotel. Paddock was later found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The shooting killed sixty people, injured over four hundred more, and incited action against firearm legislation in the United States.

Background

Stephen Paddock

Main article: Stephen Paddock

Stephen Paddock was a former auditor and real estate businessman who resided in a retirement community in Mesquite, Nevada. Paddock's father, Benjamin Hoskins Paddock, was a serial bank robber who was convicted in 1961 and sentenced to twenty years, but escaped from the Federal Correctional Institution, La Tuna in 1968. Following his escape, Benjamin Paddock was placed on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives. Stephen Paddock was described by his brother Eric as an individual of means who frequently played video poker and the "least violent in the family" by his brother Patrick. Stephen Paddock's sale of a real estate business left him an estimated US$2 million. Paddock, who had a private pilot's license, had two small planes and several homes and properties.

Planning

On September 25, 2017, at approximately 2:52 p.m., Paddock checked into the Mandalay Bay hotel, reserving a 1,700 square feet (160 m²) suite with floor-to-ceiling windows and an adjacent room on the 32nd floor. He spent two hours visiting his suite and eating at a sushi restaurant. At 4:52 p.m., Paddock drove his Chrysler Pacifica minivan to the valet area of the hotel. A bellman loaded five suitcases onto a service cart. At 9:40 p.m., Paddock left the Mandalay Bay with two suitcases to his home in Mesquite. Paddock returned at 8 p.m. the following day, entering a room he had checked out at the The Ogden, a condominium adjacent to the Life Is Beautiful Music & Art Festival; internet records obtained by law enforcement show that Paddock researched the attendance and lineup of the Life Is Beautiful festival, searches that he had conducted for the Route 91 Harvest festival. A second bellman assisted Paddock in carrying seven additional suitcases. Surveillance footage shows Paddock playing video poker by 11:25 p.m. Paddock repeated his behavior two days later, purchasing a .308-caliber bolt-action rifle from Guns & Guitars and visiting a shooting range before returning to the hotel with three suitcases and a white container.

On September 29, Paddock checked into the room adjacent to his suite using the name of Marilou Danley, requesting that hotel employees leave a food service cart; the cart and an additional service cart would be used for surveillance. Paddock arrives from a drive to Mesquite at 6 a.m. the following morning with two additional suitcases and places two do-not-disturb signs at 12 p.m. At 3:06 p.m., Paddock's car arrived in the valet area and he retrieved two more suitcases. By 3:34 p.m., Paddock was observed gambling and arrived at the Mandalay Bay from Mesquite by 3:11 a.m. on October 1, returning to his suite at 7:37 a.m. Surveillance footage shows Paddock entering a hotel to enter the parking garage at 12:16 p.m. He returned from his car with two suitcases and was last seen on camera at 12:29 p.m.

Twenty-three firearms were initially discovered in Paddock's hotel suite by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, and an additional nineteen were discovered at his home, including "some explosives, and several thousand rounds of ammo". Ammonium nitrate was found in Paddock's vehicle. Twelve semi-automatic rifles in Paddock's possession were equipped with bump stocks, gun stocks that assist in bump firing, allowing a shooter to fire hundreds of rounds through firearm recoil actuating the trigger. Paddock purchased several rifles and shotguns from New Frontier Armory in North Las Vegas and two rifles and a handgun from Guns & Guitars in Mesquite. New Frontier Armory president David Famiglietti stated that Paddock inquired about three-gun shooting. Paddock's purchases were cleared by state and federal background checks. Composite imagery formed by The New York Times noted that two rifles were equipped with medium-magnification scopes and two-legged supports. Paddock was capable of firing ninety shots within ten seconds with variations in the firing rate.

Venue

The Route 91 Harvest is a three-day country music festival held at the Las Vegas Village, an outdoor venue with a capacity of 40,000 people located near the Mandalay Bay hotel. The festival had sold out tickets; an estimated 22,000 concertgoers attended the festival on its final day.

Shooting

Gunfire

Gunfire recorded from a bystander at the Mandalay Bay hotel

At 9:36 p.m., Paddock locked the deadbolt to his hotel suite. Four minutes later, country singer Jason Aldean began his headlining act. Paddock closed the deadbolt to the adjacent room and bolted an exit door shut. At 10:05 p.m., Paddock began firing single shots, mounting an exodus within the crowd. Thirty seconds later, Paddock opened fire on the crowd in the first of twelve bursts, forcing Aldean to evacuate. During the first burst, security guard Jesus Campos entered the 32nd floor and opened the sealed exit door. Paddock, aware of Campos's presence from a surveillance camera, fired into the hallway, wounding Campos in the leg. Campos took cover in a doorway and called in a shooting.

Thirty-six seconds later, Paddock fired a second burst into the stage, where a dense crowd had formed. Paddock fired additional bursts seventeen and twenty seconds later, discharging an estimated three hundred rounds within two minutes. A reprieve for one minute and fifty seconds allows concertgoers to evacuate. By 10:07 p.m., Campos was joined by maintenance worker Stephen Schuck, who reported a shooting on the 32nd floor. At 10:09 p.m., a fifth burst was fired. Video footage from a taxi driver beneath the Mandalay Bay recorded hollow gunfire forty seconds later, suggesting Paddock fired at the hallway.

The hallway gunfire allowed additional concertgoers to flee. At 10:11 p.m., Paddock fired a sixth burst. Camera footage from a law enforcement officer shows a seventh burst firing towards police officers near the Mandalay Bay, injuring one. In the eighth burst, Paddock fired towards the left side of the area in front of the stage. At 10:12 p.m., Paddock fired beneath the Mandalay Bay in a ninth burst and fired a tenth burst towards an unknown location. By his eleventh burst, Paddock's weapon appeared to slow, and he fired his twelfth and final burst for five seconds at 10:15 p.m. Paddock fired an estimated nine hundred rounds in total and an additional two hundred into the hallway. By 11:20 p.m., Paddock was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Casualties

Paddock's position was advantageous for increasing the number of casualties as errant shots were more likely to strike the densely-populated crowd.

Multiple escape routes were undertaken during the shooting, largely towards Giles Street, where vehicles stalled to take attendees. Bleachers located to the right of the main stage were used as a cover area. Several attendees attempted to climb the chain-link fence surrounding McCarran International Airport. Firefighters later pulled the fence from the ground, allowing people to crawl under the fence. Approximately one hundred attendees entered the Sundance Helicopters office.

Response efforts

At 10:08 p.m., an officer identified gunfire from an automatic weapon. Confusion over the source of the gunshots precluded an organized response over the following minutes; officers initially believed that the gunfire was coming from the fairgrounds, McCarran International Airport, and Luxor Las Vegas. Camera footage released several days after the shooting contains video of an officer telling attendees that muzzle flashes could be seen from the Mandalay Bay at 10:07:38 p.m. The footage includes an encounter with bystanders refuting law enforcement, with one individual claiming that the bullets were fireworks. Officers applied makeshift tourniquets out of blankets. At 10:12 p.m., an officer stated that there were several casualties in the medical tent. By 10:13 p.m., an officer in the Mandalay Bay had identified that there was automatic gunfire from the floor above, though other officers remained unaware of the location within the Mandalay Bay. By 10:24 p.m., officers believed the gunfire was coming from room 135 on the 32nd floor. SWAT teams began coalescing on the 32nd floor and the 29nd floor, where a second gunman was erroneously reported, at 10:28 p.m. Over the next hour, officers secured the floor. At approximately 11:20 p.m., officers detonated a door-breaching device and found Paddock with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Independent efforts to administer aid to victims mounted during and immediately following the shooting, attracting media attention. Community Ambulance was contracted to provide medical services at the festival. Special events manager Glen Simpson had stationed five ambulances and sixteen medical workers. Patients were carried into the Community Ambulance tent through wheelbarrows and barricades as supplies reduced as rumors circulated that the shooter was at the New York-New York Hotel and Casino and the Tropicana.

Relief efforts were established by United Blood Services. A KVVU-TV reporter estimated that the line at one United Blood Services location spanned three blocks.

Reactions

Immediate response

The following day, Marilou Danley arrived at Los Angeles International Airport and was investigated by authorities.

Domestic reactions

President Donald Trump visiting a victim of the shooting

White House chief of staff John F. Kelly was briefed on the shooting at approximately 3 a.m. EDT and informed president Donald Trump between 5:30 a.m. and 6:15 a.m. Trump ordered flags to be lowered at half-staff and took part in a moment of silence at 2:45 p.m., speaking to Nevada governor Brian Sandoval, Las Vegas mayor Carolyn Goodman, and Clark County sheriff Joe Lombardo. At an address, Trump urged "unity and peace" in a speech authored by staff secretary Rob Porter, senior advisor Stephen Miller, and Homeland Security advisor Tom Bossert, among other individuals.

The shooting prompted responses and condolences from numerous country music artists. Jason Aldean expressed anguish on Twitter and called the shooting "beyond horrific". Aldean canceled tours on his "They Don't Know" tour through October 12. Jake Owen, who performed with Aldean, described the shooting as "shooting fish in a barrel". Other musicians who performed at the Route 91 Harvest festival offered sympathy, including Luke Combs, Kane Brown, and John Rich. Shania Twain, Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, and Blake Shelton expressed their condolences. In an opinion article for The New York Times, Rosanne Cash urged country music artists to denounce the National Rifle Association. Caleb Keeter of Josh Abbott Band—whose members performed at the festival—publicly advocated for gun control, stating that he was previously a proponent of the Second Amendment; according to Keeter, members of Josh Abbott Band carried firearms, but refrained from using them in fear of law enforcement. Several members of the band were injured in the shooting. Singers Ariana Grande—whose Manchester Arena performance in May 2017 preceded an Islamic terrorist suicide bombing that killed twenty-two people—Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, and Celine Dion expressed sentiments of grief.

Late-night talk show hosts urged senators and representatives to pass gun control legislation. Jimmy Kimmel detailed several victims and argued that the authoring of the Second Amendment did not account for high-magazine automatic weapons, refuting the inevitability of mass shootings and criticizing the National Rifle Association. The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon featured Miley Cyrus and Adam Sandler performing a rendition of Dido's "No Freedom". Stephen Colbert began The Late Show with a speech defying inaction. On The Daily Show, Trevor Noah compared claims that discussing gun control was inappropriate with confutations of his mother disciplining him and derided the Hearing Protection Act. Noah criticized Fox News host Brian Kilmeade for claiming that—unlike Osama bin Laden or Adam Lanza—Paddock was not hateable. The Onion issued its fifth article with the headline "'No Way to Prevent This,' Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens"; the satire website published two additional articles sardonically criticizing the National Rifle Association and caustically demonstrating continued inaction.

Stock prices in Sturm, Ruger & Co. and American Outdoor Brands, the parent company of Smith & Wesson, increased following the shooting, but were less than recorded stock prices following the Orlando nightclub shooting and the 2015 San Bernardino attack.

Hotel security

Paddock's use of an aerial vantage point incited concerns within venues and events. The Austin City Limits Music Festival underwent security assessments ahead of its annual concert.

International reactions

The Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the shooting, stating that Paddock had recently converted to Islam; a Federal Bureau of Investigation spokesman denied connections between Paddock and terrorist organizations. The Atlantic writer Graeme Wood noted that the Islamic State did not provide footage from Paddock's rifle scope, as the organization had done following the July 2016 Dhaka attack, and that Paddock antithetically engaged in substance abuse, gambling, and suicide.

Misinformation

In the aftermath of the shooting, misinformation regarding the perpetrator and victims emerged. Far-right fake news website The Gateway Pundit claimed that Geary Danley—an individual the publication described as a "far left loon"—perpetrated the shooting, a rumor circulated on the anonymous imageboard 4chan. Users on Facebook and Twitter associated Paddock's girlfriend, Marilou Danley, with the shooting, citing law enforcement officials describing Danley as a "companion" to Paddock and a video in which a concertgoer claims that Danley told a group that they were going to die; according to law enforcement, Danley is not a person of interest and was not present in the United States during the shooting. Unidentified victims were falsely named, including YouTuber John Jurasek and pornographic actor Johnny Sins. The pol discussion thread in which Geary Danley was falsely identified as the perpetrator was displayed as an article in Google's "top stories" module, and Facebook's "safety check" page for the shooting included an article from Alt-Right News claiming that Paddock was an opponent of Donald Trump. An article published on the Russian state-owned news agency Sputnik associating Paddock with the Islamic State was displayed by Facebook in the shooting's topic page.

Aftermath

Legislation

Attempts at passing gun control legislation followed the shooting. Senator Dianne Feinstein suggested a law prohibiting the sale of bump stocks. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell called politicization of the shooting "particularly inappropriate". The Hearing Protection Act—a proposed measure to remove the US$200 tax on silencers—was tabled by speaker of the House Paul Ryan; Democratic representatives urged Ryan to withdraw the bill and form a special committee on gun violence. Measures to implement gun control were supported by representatives Louise Slaughter and Pramila Jayapal, former representative Gabby Giffords—who suffered a brain injury following a mass shooting in Tucson, and Linda Sánchez, vice chairwoman of the House Democratic Caucus. Senator Joe Manchin, who previously co-authored gun control legislation following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, opposed supporting his bill. House majority whip Steve Scalise, who was critically wounded in a shooting at the annual Congressional Baseball Game in June 2017, reaffirmed his support for the Second Amendment. Senate majority whip John Thune and representatives Mike Kelly and Joe Barton opposed attempts at gun control legislation, though Thune stated that bump stocks should be investigated.

Cultural references

The shooting is referenced in Eminem's song "Darkness" from his eleventh studio album Music to Be Murdered By (2020). Eminem begins the song by describing his anxiety over a presumptive upcoming concert, but reveals that the lyrics are written from the perspective of Paddock. The song concludes with a message about gun violence.

See also

• Philipps, Dave; Haag, Matthew (October 2, 2017). "Las Vegas Gunman's Criminal Father Vanished From Sons' Lives". The New York Times. Retrieved January 26, 2024.