UPDATE—LAS VEGAS, NV (Friday, Oct. 6 at 8 a.m.)—The total number of deaths the night of October 1 in the Route 91 Harvest Festival concert massacre in Las Vegas was 59 (which includes shooter Stephen Paddock’s suicide). The number of injured is being reported as between 487 and 515  by authorities. Six people from Kern County and the Antelope Valley died.

The shooter, 64 years old, was taking Valium, which is associated in some studies of previous mass shooting events with violent ideation  (obsessive thinking about committing suicide or violence against others). So far, investigators still believe he was acting on his own, without collaboration with others.

Authorities say they discovered 49 guns in Paddock’s homes and cars, including 23 in the hotel room the night of the massacre. Of the arsenal in the room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel, 12 guns are reported to have been fitted with ‘bump stock’ kits, to transform semiautomatic rifles to approximate the rate of automatic rifle firing.  At least two of them were on tripod mounts with scopes. As of the end of the week, the U.S. Congress seems open to considering legislation to limit commercial availability of bump stock kits.

[The title of this breaking news post has been updated to reflect updated reports on the number of casualties.]

UPDATE—LAS VEGAS, NV (Monday, Oct. 2 at 6:04 p.m.)—Authorities have now confirmed that several if not all of the (now reportedly) 16 assault rifles found in shooter Stephen Paddock’s 32nd floor hotel room were fully automatic “machine guns.” Searchers said 18 additional firearms were found in one of his two Nevada homes, along with chemicals used in making explosives.

UPDATE—LAS VEGAS, NV (Monday, Oct. 2 at 4:31 p.m.)—The casualty count is now 59 dead and 527 injured from the mass shooting with assault rifles into an open-air Las Vegas concert crowd of 22,000 last night. A single individual shot from a 32nd floor window of the Mandalay Bay Hotel.

The Kern County Fire Department sent out information that it had been “notified that several of our firefighters were off-duty and attending the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas last night when an active shooter event occurred.

“At the present time, Fire Department personnel are continuing to conduct an accountability survey of all employees and family members. This includes firefighters, seasonal wildland firefighters, and general employees,” the KCFD note to the media said. There are no reports yet regarding any verified casualties among KCFD personnel.

Off-duty Bakersfield Police Department personnel are confirmed to have been at the concert, but no announcements of casualties have been released.

The Kern County District Attorney’s Office has sent out notices that its Victim Witness program will be able to assist with a variety of services for those who have been affected by the shooting. They urge Kern County residents to contact them.

The Mountain Enterprise does not yet have reports about whether any local Mountain Community residents were affected. Please contact us at BreakingNews@MountainEnterprise.com if you have personal information about this event (or call 661.245.3794).

UPDATE—LAS VEGAS, NV (Monday, Oct. 2 at 12:02 p.m.)— The casualty list has been updated this hour to report that 58 people have been killed and possibly 515 were wounded by a single gunman in Las Vegas, NV. The gunman was shooting from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel into a country music concert crowd of about 22,000 Sunday night. Stephen Paddock, 64 is reported to have had 10 assault rifles in his hotel room when he was found, deceased. Authorities said there is no indication Paddock had anyone else with him.

One witness, musician Jake Owen, said the gunfire continued for 10 minutes. Owen said they took cover in the musicians’ buses.

The Mountain Enterprise does not yet have reports about whether any local Mountain Community residents were affected. Please contact us at BreakingNews@MountainEnterprise.com if you have personal information about this event (or call 661.245.3794).

UPDATE—LAS VEGAS, NV (Monday, Oct. 2 at 11 a.m.)— The Washington Post reports that 64-year-old Stephen Paddock was formerly an accountant turned high-stakes professional gambler who had  moved from Florida to Nevada about two years ago. His younger brother Eric said Paddock texted him within the last two years that Paddock had just won $250,000 on video poker. The family had no indication Paddock had recently experienced economic loss or distress. No affiliation with any religious or terrorist influences was known to the family, brother Eric Paddock said.

California State Senator Jean Fuller (representing the Mountain Communities) released a statement: “I pray with our nation for the victims and families affected by the terrible act of evil that occurred last night in Las Vegas.

“This is a horrible tragedy that has on impact on people and communities across our nation, including an off-duty officer from Bakersfield who was struck by a bullet and is currently receiving treatment at a local hospital. “I am thankful for the first responders who heroically put their lives at risk to assist victims….”

A statement from California State Assemblyman Vince Fong (R-Kern County) said, “Words cannot describe how heartbroken I am about the tragedy in Las Vegas, Nevada. Numerous Kern County residents were in attendance at the Route 91 concert and our community has experienced loss in this senseless tragedy. This act of evil has no place in our society and amongst our families. I hope everyone will join me in sending prayers and support to those who lost their loved ones, to those who are recovering, to those who were in attendance, and to local law enforcement and first responders.”

U.S. Congressman Kevin McCarthy’s statement said: “Our community is shaken and deeply saddened by the senseless violence against our innocent neighbors who were attending a country music concert in Las Vegas. Judy and I are praying for each victim and their families during this tragic time. These horrifying times lead us to God for solace as we try to understand how such inhuman acts can happen. As this situation continues to develop, may God Bless our country as we all mourn and search for healing.”

LAS VEGAS, NV (Monday, Oct. 2 at 5:30 a.m.)— A country music concert with about 22,000 attending along the Las Vegas strip was fired upon at about 10:08 p.m. Sunday night, Oct. 1. Police report the shots came from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel by what appears now to have been a single shooter with semi-automatic weapons. A group of off-duty Bakersfield Police Department officers was there. One was injured, a press release from BPD said.  Initial reports estimated 50 people were killed with over 400 reportedly transported to area hospitals for emergency care.

Los Angeles County sent out alerts this morning that their officers are on heightened alert today.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has released a statement that the shooter, Stephen Paddock, 64 who lived in a retirement community in Mesquite, NV was found dead in his Mandalay Bay Hotel room with 10 assault rifles when they broke into it with an explosive device. The statement said it appeared Paddock had committed suicide in the hotel room before law enforcement arrived.

According to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, “The victims were across the street attending the Route 91 Harvest Festival concert when [shots] rang out. LVMPD SWAT responded to the call, breached the hotel room and found the suspect dead.” Area hospitals have been treating the wounded.

The Mountain Enterprise does not yet have reports about whether any local Mountain Community residents were affected. Please contact us at BreakingNews@MountainEnterprise.com if you have personal information about this event (or call 661.245.3794).

This is part of the September 29, 2017 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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