ATROCITY IN LAS VEGAS

Tragedy at an outdoor country music venue, the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, Nevada Sunday night October 1st.    Bursts of an automatic weapon submachine gunfire reportedly was heard for more than five minutes coming from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino on the "strip".  There are 100+ plus  injuries, currently 20+ deaths among the possible 30,000 concert goers, including some police officers.   

A Clark County Sheriff's news conference announces the shooter is dead, he is a local Las Vegas  resident they believe to be the sole actor, name withheld -- that there are no bombs -- motivation not known.  Sheriff is seeking search warrant so they can search the shooter's home.   The public's assistance is requested to locate a named Asian female of interest who is his friend or companion and identified two automobiles they want help locating. 

Consult your news source for updates and final accounts.

Though now discounted, at one point there had been speculation there was more than one shooter, reports of possible shooting in other hotels.   Authorities did shutdown Interstate 15 Freeway which is the primary route east of  my community and the primary Southern California route to Las Vegas.  Flights to McCarran International Airport were being diverted to our nearby Ontario (CA) International Airport. 

Los Angeles TV stations went live from Vegas in their news programs with video and witness accounts of  this atrocity just as I was going to retire for the night.    I immediately thought of friends coincidentally spending the weekend there to attend their young grandson's performance in a school play.  I am confident they and their musician son's family are not at risk as they would not have been attending this festival, but does bring home how fragile life can be.