Photos From Route 91 Festival Shooting Capture Humanity Amidst the Chaos
Gunshots from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay casino in Las Vegas sent artists, crew, vendors and fans attending the 2017 Route 91 Harvest Festival scrambling for shelter. Photos show chaos, but also great humanity as people worked to make sure everyone had a chance to find safety.
Reports of fans using metal barricades as stretchers and their own trucks as ambulances have been told alongside the firsthand accounts of bullets ringing off the Route 91 Harvest Festival stage. So far there have been 58 confirmed fatalities and more than 500 injured. Gunman Stephen Paddock took his own life after unloading upon the 22,000 festival-goers for nearly five minutes.
Jake Owen had just finished his Route 91 set and Jason Aldean was onstage when bullets started to rain down on the crowd. Chris Young was in attendance and recalls hunkering down in a trailer for an extended period of time until he felt safe. Josh Abbott tweeted about his fiancee being on lockdown inside the Mandalay Bay hotel.
As the details begin to emerge about the victims and who 64-year-old Stephen Paddock was, you'll find updates on Taste of Country. The 2017 Route 91 Harvest Music Festival was the fourth-annual festival. Sam Hunt and Eric Church were Friday and Saturday headliners. Country music has a long history in Las Vegas, with several acts having residencies and the ACM Awards airing from Las Vegas each year.
Checking in With All Route 91 Harvest Fest Sunday Performers