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More than 20 people are dead and more than 100 injured after a man opened fire on 30,000 people gathered for a music festival in Las Vegas.
The incident occurred at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival when the gunman began firing from the 32nd floor of the neighbouring Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.
Hundreds of music fans huddled for cover or ran for their lives as the gunfire continued.
Two off-duty policemen attending the concert are believed to be dead.
"We believe there are a couple of off duty officers attending the concert that may have died," a Las Vegas Police Department spokesman said.
About 7pm Las Vegas police reported that the shooter was "down" and that they did not believe there were other gunmen involved.
Police said the unnamed gunman was believed to be from Las Vegas and that they were seeking his companion, a 150cm Asian woman called Mari-Lou Danley.
A spokesman gave the details of two vehicles registered to the gunman and called for witnesses to submit any video of the incident.
Earlier reports of a second shooter and suspicious packages and explosions in other hotels were false, police said.
Danita Cohen, a spokeswoman for the University Medical Centre, said the hospital was evaluating the condition of "many patients" with gunshot wounds.
The burst of gunfire was heard during a performance by country music performer Jason Aldean.
In terrifying footage, the sound of what appears to be bullets can be heard over music, which quickly cuts out, as people can be seen screaming and running for cover or lying on the ground.
Witnesses attending the festival reported "bullets flying everywhere".
Shooting in Las Vegas. People fleeing (video from the Mandalay Bay hotel) pic.twitter.com/hs98J5uK6T
— Eiki Hrafnsson (@EirikurH) October 2, 2017
Police tweeted: 'We're investigating reports of an active shooter near/around Mandalay Bay Casino. Asking everyone to please avoid the area.'
A witness told NBC Las Vegas: "They were firing from somewhere high and they were unloading clip after clip after clip... [there are] multiple shooters, there has to be," he said.
"It was hundreds of shots."
An Australian witness staying at the Mandalay Bay hotel told CNN that there was mayhem as the shots broke out.
"The initial gun shots were machine-gun fire," he said. "We knew it was chaos and mayhem because people were running out of everywhere."
Witnesses tell me people were getting shot around them #LasVegas @news3lv pic.twitter.com/xUOELxFupH
— Nathan O'Neal (@NateNews3LV) October 2, 2017
He also described scenes of chaos when police came across a group of guests taking cover.
"We were tucked away, about 12 of us, in a carpark thing, and the Swat team came and said hands up," he said.
"We didn't know where the shooter is. We knew they were confused like we were. Police ushered us out".
Another witness said: "Police said run and we started running."
Mandalay Bay is located on the south end of the Vegas strip and across from McCarran International Airport.
So sad RT @VegasAnchor: First videos are coming in from the #route91harvest shooting at Mandalay Bay. It is horrific pic.twitter.com/2HMOOwn67I
— Matt McGlothlin (@MattMcGlothlin) October 2, 2017
Flights in out of McCarran Airport had been stopped.
Firearms can generally be carried openly throughout Nevada, though carrying a loaded rifle or shotgun inside a vehicle or on or along a public road is illegal. Although North Las Vegas has an ordinance prohibiting open carry at county parks or in vehicles within city limits, the ordinance does not supersede state law.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a short statement on Monday that it was still trying to determine whether any Australians had been caught up in the incident.
"The Australian Consulate-General in Los Angeles is making urgent inquiries with local authorities to determine whether any Australians have been affected by a shooting incident at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas," the spokeswoman said.
"If you have any concerns for the welfare of family and friends in the Las Vegas area, you should attempt to contact them directly."
Those unable to contact friends and family in Las Vegas are urged to contact the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on 1300 555 135, or +61 2 6261 3305.
http://www.smh.com.au/world/gunshot...ic-festival-in-las-vegas-20171002-gysvp5.html
