Vegas shooting doesn't change opinions on guns: AP-NORC poll
ATLANTA — The slaying of five dozen people in Las Vegas did little to change Americans' opinions about gun laws.The nation is closely divided on whether restricting firearms would reduce such mass shootings or homicides, though a majority favor tighter laws as they have for several years, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.The massive divide on stricter limits remains firmly in place.The survey was conducted from Oct. 12-16, about two weeks after 64-year-old Stephen Paddock fired on a crowded musical festival taking place on across the street from his hotel room, killing 58 and wounding more than 540 before killing himself.
Jason Aldean releases 'I Won't Back Down' for charity
NEW YORK — Jason Aldean's moving rendition of "I Won't Back Down" on "Saturday Night Live" will soon be raising money to help victims of the Las Vegas shooting.The song was made available on Friday on various sites.
Victim of Las Vegas shooting wakes up, takes steps
CROFTON, Md. — A Maryland native who has been in a coma since being injured in a mass shooting at a concert in Las Vegas has woken up and taken her first steps.According to a GoFundMe page set up for Tina Frost, the 27-year-old on Friday took three steps to a chair, and three steps back to the bed, with the assistance of nurses.
Hawaiians hope to bring healing to Las Vegas and victims
LAS VEGAS — A group of Hawaiians who now make their homes in Las Vegas on Saturday joined others who still live in the islands to bring the city's people a special lei (LAY) braided with leaves from a sacred plant in a gesture they hope will bring peace and healing after the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.The largest of the three ceremonies took place outside the iconic "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign.
Coroner: Stanford to study body of Las Vegas shooter
The coroner in Las Vegas says the body of the man who unleashed the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history has been sent to Stanford University for study.Clark County Coroner John Fudenberg (FYOU'-den-berg) said Friday that an autopsy was completed on 64-year-old Stephen Craig Paddock, but a finding on a cause and manner of his death is not expected for several months.Fudenberg says it will await the results of multiple forensic analyses at Stanford, including a neuropathological examination of Paddock's brain tissue.The coroner says the bodies of all 58 victims in the Oct. 1 shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival concert on the Las Vegas Strip were returned to next-of-kin by Oct. 6.Fudenberg says Paddock's body will be returned to his family after forensic test results are known.
Las Vegas police shift timeline again in concert massacre
LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas investigators offered a new version of events Friday in a shifting timeline surrounding the deadliest shooting in modern U.S. history as they described how the gunman opened fire on nearby airport jet fuel tanks and on police officers arriving at the massacre.Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo held a highly anticipated news conference alongside the top FBI agent in Las Vegas amid questions about whether police could have done more to stop gunman Stephen Paddock on Oct. 1.They provided no new information about Paddock's motivation as he killed 58 people and wounded more than 500 at a country music festival.
Zappos matching up to $1M for Las Vegas shooting victims and families
LAS VEGAS – Online shoe retailer Zappos is offering to match donations of up to $1 million for victims of the recent mass shooting and their families."Las Vegas is our home," the company wrote Oct. 2, the day after the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. "We are deeply saddened by the events that happened on Sunday night."Zappos says "100 percent of funds raised will help support victims and their families."On Thursday alone, there were individual donations of hundreds, even thousands of dollars.
Country star Jason Aldean to resume tour after mass shooting
TULSA, Okla. — Country star Jason Aldean is set to make an emotional return to the stage after cancelling tour dates following the mass shooting in Las Vegas.The singer was onstage Oct. 1 when a gunman opened fire at the Route 91 Harvest festival, killing 58 people and leaving nearly 500 injured.
Maintenance worker warned of shooter before Las Vegas massacre: "Rounds started coming"
LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- A maintenance worker said Wednesday he told hotel dispatchers to call police and report a gunman had opened fire with a rifle inside Mandalay Bay before the shooter began firing from his high-rise suite into a crowd at a nearby musical performance.The revised timeline has renewed questions about whether better communication might have allowed police to respond more quickly and take out the gunman before he committed the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.Worker Stephen Schuck told NBC News that he was checking out a report of a jammed fire door on the 32nd floor of Mandalay Bay when he heard gunshots and a hotel security guard, who had been shot in the leg, peeked out from an alcove and told him to take cover."As soon as I started to go to a door to my left the rounds started coming down the hallway," Schuck said. "I could feel them pass right behind my head.""It was kind of relentless so I called over the radio what was going on," he said. "As soon as the shooting stopped we made our way down the hallway and took cover again and then the shooting started again."Police said Monday they believe gunman Stephen Paddock shot a hotel security guard through the door of his suite six minutes before he unleashed a barrage of bullets into the crowd of concert-goers, killing 58 people and injuring hundreds more.The injured guard used his radio and possibly a hallway phone to also call hotel dispatchers for help.That account differs dramatically from the one police gave last week when they said Paddock fired through the door of his room and injured the unarmed guard after shooting into the crowd.The company that owns Mandalay Bay has questioned the new timeline."We cannot be certain about the most recent timeline," said Debra DeShong, a spokeswoman for MGM Resorts International. "We believe what is currently being expressed may not be accurate."Las Vegas police did not respond Tuesday night to questions about the hotel's statement."Our officers got there as fast as they possibly could and they did what they were trained to do," Las Vegas assistant sheriff Todd Fasulo said earlier Tuesday.Gunshots can be heard in the background as Schuck reported the shooting on his radio, telling a dispatcher: "Call the police.
Could Vegas police have taken down the gunman sooner?
LAS VEGAS -- The revised timeline given by investigators for the Las Vegas massacre raises questions about whether better communication might have allowed police to respond more quickly and take out the gunman before he could kill and wound so many people.On Monday, Sheriff Joe Lombardo said Stephen Paddock shot and wounded a Mandalay Bay hotel security guard outside his door and sprayed 200 shots down the hall six minutes before he opened fire Oct. 1 from his high-rise suite on a crowd at a country music festival below.That was a different account from the one police gave last week: that Paddock shot the guard, Jesus Campos, after unleashing his barrage of bullets on the crowd.
"The best gift:" 1st responders man BloodCenter of Wisconsin phone bank after Vegas mass shooting
WAUWATOSA -- Local first responders, including retired Oak Creek Police Department Lt.
Stephen Paddock's brother arrives in Las Vegas for interviews in wake of mass shooting
LAS VEGAS -- The brother of a man who killed dozens of people at a Las Vegas country music festival is in town to help investigators figure out the shooter's motives and to retrieve the body.The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Eric Paddock arrived in town Saturday for hours of interviews with FBI agents, a police detective, a profiler and a psychologist.Eric Paddock would not talk to The Associated Press by phone and declined by text message.Stephen Paddock opened fire Oct. 1 from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay casino-hotel, killing 58 people and wounding hundreds.
Couple says gunman complained about their music hours before Las Vegas shooting
SAN DIEGO -- A San Diego taco shop owner and his wife were staying in a hotel room right below the Las Vegas suite where gunman Stephen Paddock fired shots at a country music festival Sunday night, according to KSWB.It was only after the deadly shooting that Albert Garzon and his wife Jessica discovered they had not only been staying in the Mandalay Bay hotel room directly below the shooter but that they’d annoyed him just hours before the concert.“Just got back to our room and look at that, that’s the room that he was shooting out of, that’s the curtain that’s coming out of the guy’s room.
Jason Aldean pays tribute to Vegas victims, Petty on 'SNL'
NEW YORK — Country star Jason Aldean took the stage on "Saturday Night Live," paying tribute to the victims of the Las Vegas massacre and to the late rocker Tom Petty.Aldean performed Petty's "I Won't Back Down" during the live opening Saturday night and then introduced the show."This week we witnessed one of the worst tragedies in American history," he said. "So many people are hurting.
Wife of man killed in Vegas, at his funeral: "I knew he would protect me; he is my hero"
BAKERSFIELD, California — Jack Beaton felt equally comfortable gripping a pair of barbecue tongs surrounded by friends or swinging his roofer's hammer on a hot day at work.
Group of 7 friends, so-called 'framily,' remembers 1 killed in Vegas, "who would have helped them stay strong"
PLACENTIA, California — In the days since the shooting, it's been hard to sleep.
Casino owner on Stephen Paddock: "The most vanilla profile one could possibly imagine"
LAS VEGAS -- The owner of a casino where Stephen Paddock gambled says the Las Vegas gunman didn't drink alcohol or show any signs of trouble when he was a customer there.Steve Wynn said in an interview on Fox News that Paddock had "the most vanilla profile one could possibly imagine."He says Paddock didn't run up debts or have a gambling problem.
Welcome to Vegas: Billboards ask for tips on gunman's motive
LAS VEGAS — Tourists coming to gamble and party on the Strip will soon find something other than bright lights welcoming them to "Fabulous Las Vegas."Billboards will serve as a stark reminder that investigators remain stumped about what drove a gunman to mow down concertgoers from a perch in a high-rise casino hotel last Sunday."We still do not have a clear motive or reason why," a frustrated Clark County Undersheriff Kevin McMahill said Friday. "We have looked at literally everything."Investigators have chased 1,000 leads and examined Stephen Paddock's politics, his finances, any possible radicalization and his social behavior — typical investigative avenues that have helped uncover the motive in past shootings."We have been down each and every one of these paths," McMahill said. "We all want answers."The FBI announced that billboards would go up around the city asking anyone with information to dial 800-CALL-FBI."If you know something, say something," said Aaron Rouse, agent in charge of the Las Vegas FBI office. "We will not stop until we have the truth."Paddock, a reclusive 64-year-old high-stakes gambler, rained bullets on the crowd at a country music festival from his 32nd-floor hotel suite, killing 58 and wounding hundreds before taking his own life.McMahill said investigators had reviewed voluminous video from the casino and don't think Paddock had an accomplice in the shooting, but they want to know if anyone knew about his plot beforehand.In their effort to find any hint of his motive, investigators were looking into whether he was with a prostitute days before the shooting, were scrutinizing cruises he took and were trying to make sense of a cryptic note with numbers jotted on it found in his hotel room, a federal official said.The U.S. official briefed by federal law enforcement officers wasn't authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.The official said investigators were interviewing other call girls for information and looking into at least a dozen cruises Paddock took in the last few years, including one to the Middle East.It is unusual to have so few clues five days after a mass shooting.
No clear motive yet in Las Vegas mass shooting
Authorities say they still don't have a clear motive for the Las Vegas shooting rampage.Undersheriff Kevin C.