Las Vegas mass shooting gunman identified by police

Las Vegas mass shooting gunman identified by police
A mass shooting in Las Vegas has left more than 50 people dead with questions remaining over the motive.
2 min read
02 October, 2017
The shooting has left more than 20 dead [AFP]
A shooter in Sunday night's massacre in Las Vegas has been identified as a 64-year-old white male.

More than 50 have been killed and well over 100 injured after a mass shooting at a music concert in Las Vegas on Sunday night.

Police swarmed to a hotel in the city following the massacre at the Route 91 Harvest Festival. Police believe the shooter turned the gun on himself before a SWAT team entered his hotel room. 

Those attending the festival reported seeing muzzle flashes from the upper floors of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino across Las Vegas Boulevard from the music concert and the sound of what they described as automatic gun fire.

"There were armoured personnel vehicles, SWAT vehicles, ambulances, and at least a half-mile of police cars," Baggett said.

Among the wounded was an off-duty policeman from the Bakersfield Police Department in California, according the department. Authorities have not yet disclosed the identity of the officer, who suffered non-life threatening injuries.

Thousands fled as bursts of gunfire could be heard for more than five minutes, Yazzie said.

Thirty-one-year-old Jose Baggett, a Las Vegas resident, said he and a friend were both in the lobby of the Luxor hotel-casino when people began running.

He added that people around him were tearful and as he and his friend walked away, they encountered police checkpoints where officers were carrying shotguns and assault rifles.

Las Vegas is known as a gambling hot-spot and attracts millions of Americans and foreigners to its casinos.

There are no known motives yet for the killing.