Now one month after the Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting, a number of witnesses are sharing their accounts of the horrific attack.
The shooting itself, which took place on Oct. 1, lasted for 15 minutes. However, the ensuing chaos lasted for several hours. Resorts and businesses in a 3 miles radius from the scene of the attack went on lockdown including the suspension of flight operations at the nearby McCarran International.
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In the attack, 58 people were killed and more than 500 others were injured. The gunman, Stephen Paddock, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
In the aftermath of the shooting, which was the deadliest in modern U.S. history, some of the witnesses are speaking out about their experiences. Read firsthand accounts of the attack below.
An Airport Employee Recounts the Attack
Around 10:20 p.m., Mariaย Mackert, who works at the airport, stepped outside ofย Allegiantย Air’s maintenance hangar for a cigarette break. She then saw a shirtless man and two women running towards her.
“At first I thought they may be exaggerating due to drugs orย alcohol,ย because that’s what people do in Vegas,”ย Mackertย said.
After telling the frantic group to take cover in the garage,ย Mackertย stepped outside to call the police.
During the attack, more than 300 peopleย fledย the music festival venue and breached the airport’s security fence. So many people were running onto the tarmac that takeoffs and landings were forced to halt for more than two hours.
“People were crying and freaking out,”ย Mackertย said. “I just kept trying to tell them that they ran to a safe place. They really did not know the danger they were in while running from danger.”
English Couple on Vacation Find Themselves in the Middle of the Attack
One couple from Sheffield, England was visiting Las Vegas for 10 days of vacation when the attack happened.
Ian and Wendy Gommย were told by guests at the Luxor, the hotel where they were staying, that the Route 91 Harvest Festival was going to be a fun event that included country music and dancing.
The Gomms visited the Skyfall Lounge later that evening but didn’t know that anything was wrong until they took the elevator to the ground floor. They immediately saw a crowd of people running and screaming about an active gunman.
“It was sheer panic, basically,” Ian said. “You didn’t know whether you were doing the right thing. You didn’t know whether to run or stay.”
Ian and Wendy made it back to their hotel around 11:15 p.m. While watching the news, a voice came over a speaker in their room announcing that it was on lockdown.
Despite the horrific events of that night, Ian says that he will definitely return to Lasย Vegas someday in the future.
“You can’t live your life worried,” he said. “I won’t be put off by anything.”
Gas Station Worker Describes the Chaos of the Shooting
Judith Schulz, who works as an assistant manager at the Rebel gas station on Tropicana Avenue and Koval Lane, says she first heard gunfire and then waves of people fleeing.
“There was just a swarm of people coming across the street,” she said. “Running, screaming, bleeding.”
Schulz watched people run through traffic and jump fences at the airport across the street.
“My store got bombarded with people,” she said. “They were sitting along the cooler doors, around the chips, the floor, the slot machines.”
At one time during the attack, Schulz says there were 50 or more people in the store.
“Everybody was just, like, out-of-their-mind scared,” she said.
Actress Attending Party at Mandalay Bay Watches the Attack As it Unfolds
At the time the gunshots were first heard, actress and TV personality Forbes Riley was attending a private party near the top of the Mandalay Bay resort.
Riley watched the entire shooting unfold below her as thousands of concertgoers fled in panic. Along with the rest of her group, Riley was ushered back inside the restaurant. Within minutes, someone entered the room screaming for everyone to get on the ground faceย down.
“I turned around, and I just see a giant machine gun,” she said.
The person that entered the room was a SWAT officer, but Riley didn’t know it was one of the authorities at the time.ย
With 50 other people, Riley ended up spending 12 hours in the Foundation Room. While in lockdown, they weren’t even allowed to go to the bathroom without an escort, she said. She was released from the restaurant at about 9:30 a.m.
“I go downstairs with my friend, and there’s nobody in the Mandalay Bay,” she said. “You know, casinos are never quiet. There was not a sound of any machine or anything.”
