Suspect ‘Down’ After Shooting on Las Vegas Strip, Police Say

The Las Vegas Police Department said a suspect was "down" after a gunman opened fire near a country music festival near the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino late Sunday.

Multiple people were injured in the shooting at the south end of the Vegas Strip on S. Las Vegas Blvd. and across from McCarran International Airport, Clark County Fire Department officials confirmed to NBC News.

Police shut down the area and urged the public to stay away. Flights in and out of the airport were temporarily halted.


The final night of the three-day Route 91 Harvest Music Festival was taking place at Las Vegas Village, an outdoor venue, when police said they were investigating reports of an "active shooter near/around Mandalay Bay Casino" at 10:38 p.m. (1:38 a.m. ET). The concert was being held across the street from the casino.


Las Vegas police stand guard outside the grounds of the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival on Oct. 1. David Becker / Getty Images
Meghan Carney was at the festival when the shooting broke out.

“We heard what sounded like firecrackers going off. Then all of a sudden we heard what sounded like a machine gun. People started screaming that they were hit… When we started running out there were probably a couple hundred [people] on the ground,” she told MSNBC.

People run from the Route 91 Harvest country music festival near Mandalay Bay after apparent gun fire Sunday night in Las Vegas, Nevada. David Becker / Getty Images
"People kept dropping and dropping… People were getting shot one foot away from us," she said. “People were trying to save their friends. There were gunshots everywhere. Helping them would’ve meant that we got shot too.”

Jon Bessette said he was attending the festival when he heard gunshots around 10:00 p.m.

"The band ran off stage and it was pandemonium," said Bessette. "Everyone was running, people were getting trampled."

Several artists performing at the music festival also reported hearing gunshots.