Terror on Las Vegas Strip after deadly shooting spree
GETTY/AFP / Ethan MillerA body appears to lie under a sheet as police and rescue personnel gather at the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Ave after a shooting at a country music festival in Las Vegas, on October 2, 2017
At least two people were killed and more than 20 wounded when a gunman went on a shooting spree at a concert on the famous Las Vegas Strip late Sunday, police and US media reports said.
Police said the shooter was taken "down" after officers swarmed over the famous boulevard in response to multiple shots being fired from the Mandalay Bay casino resort towards thousands of fans at a country music concert.
Revelers screamed and fled in panic as a steady stream of gunfire rang out at the venue, footage captured on smart phones showed.
"At this time we do have a suspect down," Las Vegas police officer Steve Gomez told reporters, without elaborating.
"We have numerous victims right now," he added.
While police did not immediately give a figure for the number of dead, CNN reported that at least two people had been killed.
Several local news outlets put the number of injured at up to 24.
Pictures taken at the scene showed revelers cowering in the street or running in terror, as well what appeared to be several bodies lying prone on the ground.
A local hospital was taking in "several" people with gunshot wounds, University Medical Center spokeswoman Danita Cohen told the local Sun newspaper.
Video footage circulating on social media showed a large crowd enjoying a concert as part of the Route 91 country music festival just outside the casino before what sounded like volleys of automatic gunfire halted the performance.
- 'Like firecrackers' -
AFP / -Map locating Las Vegas, where police swarmed the Las Vegas strip late Sunday following reports of multiple shots fired from Mandalay Bay Casino
"We heard (what) sounded like a glass breaking, so you looked around to see what's going on and then heard a pop, pop, pop," Monique Dekerf told CNN.
"You'd think for a moment okay we're fine, there's no more gunfire, then it starts again."
Her sister Rachel said it sounded like "the shots were coming from the right side ... it sounded like they were right beside us too ... it was right there."
Fans said that the best-selling singer Jason Aldean was on stage at the time of the shooting which came towards the end of the concert.
"We were watching the concert having a great time, then we heard what sounded like firecrackers," witness Joe Pitz was quoted as saying by the local Las Vegas Sun news outlet.
"I guess it was an automatic weapon going off but it literally sounded like firecrackers.
"Then soon enough there was commotion on the Mandalay Bay side of the stage. They were motioning for medics to come and safety people to come and Jason Aldean ran off the stage.
"Everybody in the vicinity went down. I don't know if they were ducking or if they were but it was chaos."
Another witness told local TV news station KLAS that he saw someone several stories high firing hundreds of shots into a crowd of people.
Police however denied reports of multiple shooters.
"At this time we do not believe there are any more shooters," the department wrote on Twitter.
A shocked Aldean told his fans via Instagram that he and his band was safe.
"Tonight has been beyond horrific," the singer wrote.
"I still dont know what to say ... My Thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved tonight. It hurts my heart that this would happen to anyone who was just coming out to enjoy what should have been a fun night."
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