Trump: Vegas Attack An 'Act Of Pure Evil'
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday condemned the largest mass shooting in U.S. history as an "act of pure evil" and said the nation was "joined together in sadness, shock and grief" after more than 50 people were gunned down in Las Vegas.
Speaking slowly and somberly from the White House, Trump declared that the nation would rally together in the face of the latest act of senseless violence.
"Our unity cannot be shattered by evil, our bonds cannot be broken by violence," the president said. "It is our love that defines us today."
Trump praised the first responders who he said prevented further losses of life and said he would visit Las Vegas on Wednesday. He offered condolences to the families of those killed, saying, "We cannot fathom their pain. We cannot imagine their loss."
"We are praying for you," he said. "We are here for you."
Trump spoke hours after a gunman on the 32nd floor of a Vegas Strip casino unleashed a hail of bullets on an outdoor country music festival below. The gunman killed at least 50 people as tens of thousands of concertgoers screamed and ran for their lives.
More than 400 other victims were taken to hospitals, and investigators spent Monday morning combing the debris-strewn concert site along the iconic Vegas Strip.
In a morning tweet, Trump offered "my warmest condolences and sympathies to the victims and families of the terrible Las Vegas shooting. God bless you!" First Lady Melania Trump tweeted, "My heart and prayers goes out to victims, families & loved ones! #PrayForLasVegas"
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that officials "are monitoring the situation closely and offer our full support to state and local officials." The U.S. Homeland Security Department said there was no "specific credible threat" involving other locations. Police have not yet determined a motive in the shootings.
SWAT teams using explosives stormed the gunman's room in the Mandalay Bay hotel and found he had killed himself, authorities said. He had as many as 10 guns with him, including rifles, they said.
The gunman was identified as Stephen Craig Paddock, 64, of Mesquite, Nevada. He had checked into the hotel room on Thursday, authorities said.
Since Trump's inauguration, there have been other mass shootings, including one in Texas last month, when a gunman killed eight and was fatally shot by police. But the Las Vegas attack is the deadliest in U.S. history.
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