Developing News, Reaction From Las Vegas Shooting

Updated 3:50 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, 2 October 2017 with new statements from Mandalay Bay, MGM Resorts, Las Vegas Sands Corporation and the U.S. Travel Association. 

Updated 4:45 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, 3 October 2017 with an update on MGM Resorts' donation to help victims and first responders.

LAS VEGAS—A gunman fired down on concertgoers at a nearby Route 91 Harvest music festival from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip late Sunday night, killing more than 50 and wounding more than 400, according to multiple news reports. The gunman is reported to have killed himself.

Authorities identified the gunman as Stephen Paddock, 64, of Mesquite, Nevada, according to reporting by Scripps Media. In Paddock’s suite at the Mandalay Bay, police found eight assault rifles and 200 fully loaded magazines. The gunman reportedly also installed cameras in the hotel corridor to watch for anyone approaching, according to the article.

NBC News tweeted a photo that showed two broken windows on the 32nd floor.

Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said police believe this was a “lone wolf” attack, the Las Vegas Sun reports. Police are questioning the gunman’s roommate, 62-year-old Marilou Danley, but she is not believed to have been involved in the shooting.

MGM Resorts International, owner of the Mandalay Bay, released this statement following the shooting: “This evening, there was a tragic active shooter situation at the south end of the Las Vegas Strip. Law enforcement and emergency personnel responded quickly to the incident and secured the scene. Law enforcement requested that we put hotels in the vicinity on lockdown to ensure guest safety. We will provide more information as it becomes available.”

In the aftermath Sunday evening, police responded to reports of gunshots and explosions at other locations along the strip, including the New York-New York Hotel and Casino, but those turned out to be false, The New York Times reports.

The police shut down part of the Las Vegas Strip and Interstate 15, according to the Las Vegas Sun, and the Strip will remain closed until at least 7 a.m. local time. The Flamingo and Cromwell casinos closed after the shooting but reopened at 3 a.m. local time. Casinos have let people leave, but most only allowed their hotel guests to enter, according to the article. Most of the pedestrian bridges north of Harmon Avenue by Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino and The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas had reopened.

Caesars Entertainment, which owns, among others, Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood Resort and The Cromwell, released a statement via Twitter expressing heartbreak for those killed or injured as well as gratitude for law enforcement.

McCarran International Airport has not released any official statement at this time, but a series of tweets on its Twitter feed show updates about a temporary halt to flights and the return to limited flight activity, as well as the diversion of incoming flights.

Stocks dropped for hotel and casino companies along the Strip following the shooting, reports CNBC. MGM Resorts saw its stock drop more than 3% in early Monday trading, the article states, and stocks at both Las Vegas Sands and Wynn Resorts fell almost 2%.

Global trade show organizer IMEX Group, which is scheduled to host IMEX America at Sands Expo at The Venetian on the Strip in Las Vegas 10-12 October, issued a statement in response to the shooting:

“We are shocked and saddened at the events that have taken place in Las Vegas recently,” IMEX Group CEO Carina Bauer said in the statement. “Both IMEX America and the Sands have very strong security in place, with both visible and plain clothes security teams in the venue and at the tradeshow. Over the coming days, we will be working closely with the Sands, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and the Las Vegas authorities to assess any additional security measures that are needed at this time. We will take their full advice in ensuring the best possible security and safety of our guests. We will give further information as it becomes available.”

Last year’s IMEX America event drew a record 12,227 attendees, which was a 14% increase over 2015.

Mandalay Bay Resort stated on Twitter that as of 8:04 a.m. local time, security personnel had “lifted all restrictions on access to Mandalay Bay and other MGM Resorts. Guests may return to their rooms.”

MGM Resorts said in a statement posted at 9:22 a.m. local time on Twitter that it is making counselors available for its guests and staff.

At the same time, the company put out a plea for certified trauma counselors to volunteer.

Las Vegas Sands Corporation, which owns The Venetian and The Palazzo on the strip, said in a post on Twitter at 9:02 a.m. local time: “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the events on the Las Vegas strip last night. Victims, law enforcement, first responders.”

The U.S. Travel Association released a statement on Twitter Monday afternoon:

“We are deeply saddened by the events in Las Vegas and concerned for the victims, their families, and everyone else who is affected. We have many, many dear friends in Las Vegas and at this moment are focused on learning all we can about their well-being, and extending any and all assistance we are able to offer.”

MGM Resorts commits $3m in aid following shooting
MGM Resorts announced Tuesday it would give $3 million to help the victims of the shooting as well as the organizations that provide “support to those who are first on the scene to assist in traumatic events,” according to a news release.

“There are simply no words to express our grief and outrage over this senseless and horrific attack on our community,” MGM Resorts Chairman and CEO Jim Murren said. “Yet in this devastating time, we are inspired. From the heroic stories of victims on the ground who placed the safety of strangers and loved ones before themselves, to the incredible bravery of first responders who rushed in when others were rushing out and who surely lessened the damage, to the knowledge of so many good and incomplete works done by those we lost—we are collectively drawing strength and faith to meet the difficult days ahead. With this donation, we hope to make a difference to those who were harmed and those who are left behind. We also wish to recognize the awesome contributions of first responders, not just here in Las Vegas but around the United States, who give so completely of themselves when disaster strikes. On behalf of our Las Vegas community, I wish to say thank you to our global community who remind us from moment to moment that we are not alone."

The release also stated MGM Resorts already has been providing support to victims, their families and first responders by providing accommodations, meals, air and ground transportation as well as grief counseling.

HNN staff members Bryan Wroten, Robert McCune, Stephanie Ricca and Dan Kubacki contributed to this report.