In anticipation of thousands of New Year’s revelers pouring into the city, Las Vegas officials said they’re adding more security—more than two months after the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history left 58 dead.
Police will add snipers, spotters, and overall tighter security, especially around the famed Las Vegas Strip, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
“I’m confident every available resource is being used to make sure this New Year’s Eve will be safe,” Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo said on Wednesday, Dec. 27.
On Oct. 1, gunman Stephen Paddock shot and killed 58 people and wounded hundreds more while firing down on a concert from his Mandalay Bay hotel suite. The FBI has revealed little about Paddock’s motives—if any—and few details about the shooting itself. Special Agent in Charge Aaron C. Rouse told the Review-Journal that the FBI would be issuing a report next year.
Stephen Paddock, believed to be the shooter who killed at least 58 and wounded more than 500 in Las Vegas on the night of Oct. 1, 2017. (Twitter)The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority said that around 330,000 people are expected to travel to Las Vegas to celebrate the new year.
Some 1,500 extra Las Vegas police officers and 300 Nevada National Guard troops will be deployed at locations around the Vegas Strip, downtown, and the airport, according to the Review-Journal.
Nevadas Clark County Commission Chairman Steve Sisolak said that he knows people are worried about another mass shooting in Vegas.
“Nobody puts on a New Year’s Eve show like Las Vegas, and never will it be as safe as it will be this year,” Sisolak said, according to the Los Angeles Times. “The safety measures in place are impressive.”
Last week, officials revealed Paddock’s and his victims’ causes of death. It was reported that Paddock died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after he opened fire on a crowd of concert-goers nearly two months ago. He killed 58 people and injured hundreds more.
According to The Associated Press, the Clark County, Nevada coroner stated that Paddock died of a gunshot wound to the head. All 58 victims died of gunshot wounds as well, the coroner said.
Clark County Coroner John Fudenberg told AP that the gunshot wound was the only injury to Paddock’s body when he was discovered. His death was ruled a suicide.
Rouse said that about 400 people had been interviewed about Paddock. They also have followed 1,500 leads in Las Vegas and 500 around the world.
“We didn’t leave anything uncovered,” Rouse added. “And again, the casinos, with their support, let us track down a lot of information of who may have had contact with that person. And it was very helpful to us.”
