Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Las Vegas: Gunman opens fire on security guards in hotel-casino, killing two

Suspected shooter in critical condition after seeking refuge in nearby neighbourhood 

Sunday 31 December 2017 10:27 GMT
The shooting happened before 7am at Arizona Charlie's Decatur
The shooting happened before 7am at Arizona Charlie's Decatur

Two security guards have been shot dead while investigating a disturbance in a room at a hotel-casino in Las Vegas and the suspected gunman is critically injured after turning the gun on himself, police said.

The gunman's motive was not known but investigators believe it was an isolated incident.

"I want you to know right now that this has nothing to do with terrorism," Captain Robert Plummer told reporters at the scene.

The shooting happened before 7am local time at Arizona Charlie's Decatur, which is west of the Las Vegas Strip.

According to police, the suspect, Christopher Olague, ran from the hotel-casino after the shooting and into a nearby neighbourhood where he tried to enter two homes but the residents kept him out.

Police found him in a laundry room accessible through a garage of the second home after he appeared to have shot himself in the head, Lieutenant Dan McGrath said.

Mr McGrath said Olague tried to enter the first home to steal a car and also tried to take a vehicle on the street.

Police described Olague's condition as a "non-survivable wound".

Officers said the uniformed security guards were a man and a woman in their 40s and that one was armed. Their identities and their causes of death will be released by Clark County Coroner's Office.

Mr McGrath said the circumstances of what happened in the hotel room are still unclear.

The attack came a day before tens of thousands of New Year's Eve revellers head to the Strip and three months after the city dealt with the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history.

Officials have been trying to reassure residents and visitors that the city is safe, especially in the wake of the 1 October shooting.

A high-stakes gambler killed 58 people and injured hundreds more after he shattered the windows of his suite on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino on the Strip and unleashed gunfire on a country music festival below. He then killed himself.

AP

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in