LAS VEGAS (WKZO AM/FM) — The Death toll in the Las Vegas Shooting stands at 59 with 527 injured. Police have found a total of 42 guns in the hotel room and the home of the mass killer, 64-year-old real estate millionaire and gambler Steven Paddock.
Michigan resident Mark Greyerbiehl was in the crowd and says it was totally chaotic…like a war zone.Police say Paddock had 23 guns with him at the Mandalay Bay Hotel, some of them modified to work like machine guns.
They also found a number of fully loaded magazines. He had explosive material in his vehicle and at his home.
A West Michigan man who is a survivor of the concert says he was there on business and only went to the show because a friend had tickets.
Chris Duzan of Wyoming says he is alive due to the grace of God, and perhaps his friend, who was a veteran and knew what to do when the bullets started to fly.
He says some panicked, some ran and some did what they can to help. He says they survived ten minutes of practically constant fire with only short breaks.
What should you do if you are ever down range from a mass shooter? A security expert who is a Retired Brigadier General, former Homeland Security Deputy Secretary and on staff at the WMU Cooley Law School says duck and cover, and if you can’t do that then run.
Michael McDaniel says people have to start thinking differently and plan what they will do before anything happens. What they call “situational awareness”.
“As a nation we have to realize these ‘lone wolf’ shootings are going to happen and law enforcement at all levels have been training on how to recognize who may attempt this type of assault. Law enforcement has also been training on how to properly respond,” said McDaniel,.
He has developed WMU-Cooley’s program in Homeland and National Security Law, and served as homeland advisor for former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm. “Responding to this number of mass casualties is a huge job for any hospital and is a strain on the medical system. The hospitals prepare for these scenarios and can ramp up for the needs pretty quickly, but can never be sure of the number of beds that could be needed.”
He says new security measures may also have to be taken. He notes that Little Caesar’s Arena was designed and built to make a terrorist attack more difficult, but venues like the one in Las Vegas will clearly have to be reconsidered.
