NPR

Las Vegas Massacre Raises Questions About Hotel Security

Police say suspected gunman Stephen Paddock had "in excess of 10 rifles" in his room at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. How did he get so many guns to his room without raising suspicion?
People cross the Las Vegas Strip after a lone gunman opened fired on the Route 91 Harvest country music festival on Oct. 2, 2017. The gunman, identified as Stephen Paddock, 64, of Mesquite, Nev., allegedly opened fire from a room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on the music festival. / David Becker / Getty Images

When police entered 64-year-old Stephen Paddock's 32nd-floor hotel room at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo says, they found "in excess of 10 rifles."

Paddock is suspected of firing down from his room at a crowd of more than 22,000 country music festival attendees. The shooting left at least 58 people dead and 515 injured. A SWAT team used an explosive to breach his room and then "found the suspect dead," says Lombardo. He also says

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR11 min read
Kenya's Samburu Boys Share A Sacred Bond. Why One Teen Broke With The Brotherhood
After initiation rites – including circumcision – the boys leave their families to take charge of the herds, driving them high into the mountains. It's a way of life that climate change is testing.
NPR2 min read
Short-term Loss For Long-term Gain? The Ethical Dilemma At The Heart Of EVs
As mines meet mineral demands for electric vehicles, they put communities and ecosystems at risk. Sustainability researcher Elsa Dominish says the EV industry cannot repeat fossil fuel's mistakes.
NPR5 min readWorld
Putin Replaces His Defense Minister As He Starts His 5th Term In Office
Putin proposed Andrei Belousov, who until recently served as the first deputy prime minister, to replace Sergei Shoigu in a Cabinet shakeup.

Related Books & Audiobooks