Updated: 9.30am, 3rd October, 2017
At least 59 people have been killed and more than 500 injured when a gunman opened fire at an outdoor country music festival in Las Vegas on Sunday night in what is understood to be the worst mass shooting in modern US history.
The gunman, named by police as 64-year-old Stephen Paddock, of Mesquite, Nevada, had been located on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino overlooking the festival site. He was found dead by police and is believed to have taken his own life. The New York Times reported that more than 20 rifles were reportedly found in his room along with hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
A woman sits on a curb at the scene of a shooting outside of a music festival along the Las Vegas Strip, on Monday. Multiple victims were being transported to hospitals after a shooting late Sunday at a music festival on the Las Vegas Strip. PICTURE: AP Photo/John Locher/Via RNS
County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo told reporters it was believed the shooter, who started firing shortly after 10pm on Sunday, had acted alone. While the so-called Islamic State have claimed responsibility for the attack, police said he was not known to have any militant links.
In a statement on Monday, US President Donald Trump described the shooting as an “act of pure evil”.
“Hundreds of our fellow citizens are now mourning the sudden loss of a loved one, a parent, a child, a brother or sister. We cannot fathom their pain, we cannot imagine their loss. To the families of the victims, we are praying for you and we are here for you. And we ask God to help see you through this very dark period.”
He said Scripture “teaches us the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit”. “We seek comfort in those words, for we know that God lives in the hearts of those who grieve. To the wounded who are now recovering in hospitals, we are praying for your full and speedy recovery, and pledge to you our support from this day forward.”
In a joint statement, the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA and the World Council of Churches said they grieved with the families of those who lost their lives in the shooting and prayed for those whose lives had been “shattered by this senseless act”.
Jim Winkler, general secretary and president of the NCC, said he “cannot imagine why anyone would carry out such an act nor why it would be legal for ordinary citizens to own such lethal weapons”. “May we unite as a nation to ensure such terrible acts do not take place again.”
Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches, added that the tragedy called “for empathy and prayers, but also more efforts to build quality of relations of justice and peace, so that we may have life and life in abundance”. “As churches, we have a shared responsibility to work for a culture of nonviolence in all societies.”
In the statement, the two church bodies added that they did not believe “the presence of more weapons will prevent future tragedies like this one in Las Vegas and others in Newtown, Orlando, and countless other places, from taking place”.
“We call upon the US Congress to enact common-sense legislation banning assault weapons and high capacity magazines,” they said. “We recommit ourselves to working for a society in which acts of violence like these are unheard of, and that people can live, work, and enjoy restorative time without fear.”
Pope Francis has sent a telegram in the wake of the shootings to Roman Catholic Bishop Joseph A Pepe of Las Vegas. Issued by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, it read: “Deeply saddened to learn of the shooting in Las Vegas, Pope Francis sends the assurance of his spiritual closeness to all those affected by this senseless tragedy. He commends the efforts of the police and emergency service personnel, and offers the promise of his prayers for the injured and for all who have died, entrusting them to the merciful love of Almighty God.”
More than 22,000 had been attending the three day Route 91 Harvest Festival which was taking place at a site on the city’s famous Strip, across the street from the Mandalay Bay, when the shooting began.
Concertgoer Ivetta Saldana told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that she hid in a sewer as shots were fired. “It was a horror show,” she said. “People were standing around, then they hit the floor.”
The death toll has elipsed that of the 49 killed by a lone gunman at an Orlando nightclub last year.
The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team has deployed chaplains to the site.
Meanwhile RNS reports on other reactions from Christian leaders…
Cardinal Daniel N DiNardo, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: “My heart and my prayers, and those of my brother bishops and all the members of the Church, go out to the victims of this tragedy and to the city of Las Vegas. At this time, we need to pray and to take care of those who are suffering. In the end, the only response is to do good — for no matter what the darkness, it will never overcome the light. May the Lord of all gentleness surround all those who are suffering from this evil, and for those who have been killed we pray, eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.”
Rev Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference: “This is not a time for politics, but for prayer. This is not a time for division, but for divine solicitation. We join our hearts, we all take our knees and we pray with all of our might for peace for the families of those whose lives have ended in this tragedy, and for all of those who are still fighting for their next breath. The NHCLC has summoned our entire network of thousands of churches to commit concerted time of prayer in light of this tragedy.”
Pastor Paula White of New Destiny Christian Center in Apopka, Florida: “I am praying for every victim, family member, friend and the community of Las Vegas grieving from this horrific act of evil. May you feel the love of God and all of us standing with you in the midst of such pain and turmoil. Sadly, the Orlando community especially knows how to grieve with those who grieve and mourn with those mourn. You have our strongest support, Las Vegas – every ounce of love and care we have is yours.”
Rev Pat Robertson, host of the Christian television show The 700 Club: “Violence in the streets, ladies and gentlemen. Why is it happening?…The fact that we have disrespect for authority. There is profound disrespect of our president. All across this nation they say terrible things about him. It’s in the news; it’s in other places. There’s disrespect now for our national anthem, disrespect for our veterans, disrespect for the institutions of our government, disrespect of the court system. All the way up and down the line, disrespect. And when you lose that kind of respect, you lose authority. But more than anything, until there is biblical authority. There has to be some controlling authority in our society and there is none. … And we have taken from the American people the vision of God, the whole idea of reward and punishment, an ultimate judge of all our actions, we’ve taken that away. And when there is no vision of God, the people run amok.”
Greg Laurie, senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California: “Tragedies like this remind us of the brevity of life and the hope of the Gospel. In moments of pain like this one, the worst mass shooting in our country’s history, America needs God as ever before, and those families affected by this tragedy need more love than ever before. I am calling upon our entire network of churches, those affiliated with Harvest Crusades and Christian leaders all across America, to step up by bending down on their knees in intercession for our nation during this time of national grief.”
Primate of the Anglican Communion to Nevada, Episcopal Bishop Dan Edwards: “We were greatly distressed to learn of the dreadful events in Las Vegas last night. The scale of the loss of life and the numbers of injured is truly shocking. We are sending our deepest condolences to you and to the people of your diocese – in particular, the people of Las Vegas. We are praying for the families and friends of those who have died and for the many people who have been wounded. We remember, too, everyone else caught up in this tragedy – including the emergency services (first responders). We pray that the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ will be with the people of Las Vegas as they endure this trauma.”
Very Rev Randolph Marshall Hollerith, dean of Washington National Cathedral: “It goes without saying that our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. But that is not enough, and it has not been enough for a long time. Prayer is powerful and it can be a healing force in a divided nation. However, ‘thoughts and prayers’ on their own will not solve the epidemic of gun violence. The nation is looking for real answers and substantive policy recommendations that will end this epidemic. How can we be a catalyst for cultural change aimed at reducing gun violence? We need to engage in a real national conversation and ask ourselves how we can properly balance the right to bear arms with the need to keep weapons – whose only purpose is to kill other humans on a mass scale – out of circulation.”
