The Las Vegas shooter used cameras, bump stocks, and careful planning in his 72-minute reign of terror

The rooms Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock used
(Image credit: Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images))

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police dispatchers got their first call about shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival at 10:08 p.m. on Sunday night and the gunman, Stephen Paddock, had stopped firing by 10:19, after shooting more than 500 people from his suite on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Clark County Undersheriff Kevin McMahill said Tuesday evening. Paddock fired more than 12 volleys over nine to 11 minutes, killing at least 59 people, including one who died in the hospital Tuesday afternoon. He had used three cameras hidden in the hallway and peephole to watch for approaching police, and he shot a Mandalay Bay security guard in the leg through the door.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.