AVA- A gunman opened fire Sunday night at a concert outside a Las Vegas casino hotel, sending people fleeing as SWAT units searched for the attacker and the police investigated reports of shootings elsewhere in the city. At least two people were killed and 24 others injured, hospital officials said.
Reports said that the shooting happened near the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. Video posted online showed a musician performing outside the hotel at Route 91 Harvest, a country music festival, when the sound of automatic gunfire rang out. The music stopped, and concertgoers ducked for cover. “Get down,” one shouted. “Stay down,” screamed another.
Several SWAT teams were sent to the hotel, and officers reported being pinned down by gunfire, according to emergency radio traffic. Shortly before midnight the Las Vegas Police Metropolitan Police Department reported that “one suspect is down,” and shortly thereafter said it did not believe there were any more active gunmen.
Twenty-six people were admitted to the hospital, Danita Cohen, a spokeswoman for the University Medical Center, told The Associated Press. Of those, at least two died, 12 were in critical condition and the rest were being evaluated, she said.
In the confusion after the shooting, the police also descended on the Ali Baba Restaurant, about a 10-minute drive from the Mandalay Bay, and they also investigated reports of a shooting at the New York-New York Hotel and Casino.
The police reported clearing out the Mandalay Bay’s 29th floor and working their way up to the 32nd floor. A police Twitter post described reports of an “active shooter” near or around the Mandalay Bay casino.
