At 10:08pm on Sunday night, a ‘lone wolf’ gunman named Stephen Paddock opened fire on crowds below from the 32nd-floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
The 64-year-old, who had no prior criminal record, took aim at the Las Vegas village concert venue with a crowd of 22,000 people, approximately 400 metres away.
Armed with 20 weapons, including automatic and semi-automatic rifles, Paddock fired at concert-goers in a spree that is reported to have lasted between five and 15 minutes.
Paddock, a white male, killed at least 59 people and injured an estimated 527.
Listen: Journalist Amelia Lester and Mia Freedman gather to discuss the largest mass shooting in US history, and gun laws that desperately need to change. Post continues after audio.
It has now been declared the deadliest shooting in modern US history.
In the United States, shootings have become part of the fabric of everyday life. Las Vegas was the 273rd mass shooting of the year.
If you are ever caught in a shooting, here’s what experts say you should do.
“Running, if you have a clear exit, is the best choice,” says SEPTA Chief of Police Thomas Nestel, who has had more than 35 years experience in law enforcement.
“Try to get other people to flee with you, if they will do so immediately. If you can see a shooter, he can see you, so try to crouch and run as fast as you can so that you are not an easy target. Keep running until you reach a place of safety. Then call emergency services. If you are wounded, keep running as long as you can.”