Las Vegas and the Deadliest Mass Shooting

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Las Vegas community gathers for the families and friends who have lost their loved ones.

Morgan Harbolt, Staff Writer

What happened in Vegas made the history books.

Las Vegas was the victim of the biggest mass shooting in U.S. history.

The tragedy happened at a country concert. More than 500 people were injured, 59 of them dead. Stephen Paddox was the gunman.

Jason Aldean was performing Sunday night, October 1, when gunshots were fired into open air. Chaos broke loose and country music fans ran for their life. Some of the people at the concert didn’t even realize it was an actual gun going off at first. “This tragedy is a grim reminder of what can happen and hits close to home thinking about the dangers the first responders had to face,” said Pat Bass a Louisville Metro Police Department sergeant.

The gunman was on the 32 floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel where he fired over 200 rounds. Many people were killed and injured in the process. These people being mothers, fathers, sons, daughters and friends. He knocked out two windows in his room, one in the front and one in the corner. With the concert just 400 yards away from the, hotel he started firing. Paddock had been collecting different weapons for some time. He had made a 40 minuntes. drive 3 times between January and February to a gun store.

Paddock, age 64 from Mesquite, Nev. was the perpetrator. “Why shoot innocent people?,” said Lexi Lutz, sophomore. “I was just at Red, White, and Boom [country concert in Lexington, KY] where it could of just easily happened,” said Lutz. Paddock was said to be an anti-social man who loved the high life of the casino. Although he dressed like a “slob,” wearing flip flops and sweatsuits. All his gambling money went to buying weapons rather than taking care of hisself. When police entered Paddock’s room they found him dead from a self inflicted gunshot.

The country is grieving for Las Vegas and everyone who was affected. Las Vegas Metro Police Department even admitted that they never saw this coming. No one was ready for the biggest mass shooting in U.S. history.