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.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
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.