Authorities reportedly found the Las Vegas shooter when smoke from his weapons set off hotel fire alarms

The Las Vegas shooter attacked concertgoers from the 32nd floor of his hotel.

(Image credit: Twitter/@CBSThisMorning)

published 2 October 2017

The location of the Las Vegas shooter was discovered due to his hotel room's fire alarms going off from the smoke emitting from his weapons, a former Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officer told CBS This Morning. "The way the shooter was identified was not from the muzzle flashes, but the smoke detector in the room went off from the amount of smoke that came from firing that fully automatic weapon," the officer, Randy Sutton, said.

Authorities report at least 50 people were killed and as many as 200 others injured after a gunman identified as Stephen Paddock opened fire on an outdoor music festival from his 32nd story room at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on Sunday night. "Numerous" firearms were reportedly in the room when the SWAT teams found Paddock. He had reportedly killed himself from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.

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