LAS VEGAS, 3 October (BelTA - Xinhua) - At least 59 people were killed and 527 others wounded after a gunman opened fire Sunday on a concert in Las Vegas in the U.S. state of Nevada, the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
Police found more than 10 rifles in the hotel room where the gunman, 64-year-old Stephen Craig Paddock, killed himself. Additional 18 firearms, explosives and several thousand rounds of ammunition were then found in the suspected shooter's house in Mesquite, Nevada, said Joseph Lombardo, sheriff of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMDP).
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday called the mass shooting an "act of pure evil," promising to visit the city on Wednesday.
Trump led a moment of silence at the White House Monday afternoon for the victims of the terrible mass shooting, and ordered flags lowered to half-staff at government buildings across the country.
As many Americans mourned the loss of their beloved ones, some began to reflect upon the horrific tragedy.
More than 22,000 people were attending the outdoor music festival when the gunman rained bullets from a high-floor hotel room of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip, police said.
The Islamic State militant group has claimed responsibility for the massacre, but U.S. authorities said there was no immediate evidence of any terrorist link.
In a brief statement at a news conference Monday morning, FBI special agent Aaron Rouse said the bureau had "determined to this point no connection of an international terrorist group."
The gunman opened fire from the 32nd floor of Mandalay Bay hotel on Sunday night at approximately 10:08 p.m. local time (GMT 0508 Monday), Lombardo told reporters.
Shortly before midnight, SWAT teams responded to the call, breached the gunman's hotel room and found the suspect had killed himself. Police said the gunman had smashed the windows with a hammer-like tool before opening fire.
Clark County has declared a state of emergency following Sunday's mass shooting in Las Vegas. Clark County Manager Yolanda King issued the proclamation.
"The Las Vegas Strip is one of the most well-recognized tourist destination in the world," the county manager said.
"This event on the Las Vegas Strip has significantly strained local public safety and first responder resources and left other parts of the community vulnerable; and the County Manager finds that potential threats exist to the health, life, safety, and welfare of persons and property," she added.
The gunfire that interrupted the concert was initially mistaken for fireworks. Thousands of panic concertgoers screamed and sought for cover when it turned out to be dozens of bullets in rapid-fire bursts.
Country singer Jason Aldean was on stage when the gunfire broke out at the Route 91 Harvest Country Music Festival, a three-day country music eve
