This Happened — October 1: Las Vegas Music Festival Shooting

Updated October 1, 2024 at 11:00 a.m.

The Las Vegas shooting, also known as the Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting, occurred on this day in 2017, when a gunman opened fire on a crowd of concert goers from a hotel room in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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What happened during the Las Vegas shooting?

A gunman named Stephen Paddock opened fire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino onto a crowd of people attending the Route 91 Harvest Festival, an outdoor country music concert. Paddock fired hundreds of rounds of ammunition, killing 58 people and injuring hundreds more before taking his own life. It was the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

Who was the gunman in the Las Vegas shooting?

Stephen Paddock was a 64-year-old retired accountant and high-stakes gambler. He had no known criminal history and was not on the radar of law enforcement agencies prior to the shooting. His motives for carrying out the attack remain unclear.

Were there any changes in hotel security procedures after the Las Vegas shooting?

In the aftermath of the shooting, some hotels in Las Vegas and other major cities reviewed and improved their security protocols. This included measures such as increasing surveillance, improving guest screening procedures, and implementing stricter policies regarding guest access to high floors.

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