Two days after a gunman opened fire on the audience at an open-air country music festival, leaving at least 59 people dead and 527 injured, police were still trying to establish a motive for the worst mass shooting in modern US history.
Stephen Paddock, 64, opened fire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel, that overlooked the festival arena, at 10pm local time on Sunday. He shot and killed himself before police entered his hotel room, where he had been staying since 28 September. Police found 23 guns in the hotel room, and more than 19 firearms and some explosives in a subsequent search of his house in a community of senior citizens in the small town of Mesquite, north-east of Las Vegas. He reportedly lived with a woman called Marilou Danley who police said is in Japan, and did not appear to be involved in the crime.
The owner of a Las Vegas gun store told the BBC that Paddock had bought firearms at his store in the spring of this year, meeting all state and federal requirements, including an FBI background check. However, the shotgun and rifle Paddock bought would not have been “capable of what we've seen and heard in the video without modification”, the storeowner said.
Islamic State (IS) claimed to be behind the attack, saying Paddock had converted to Islam some months ago. But the group provided no evidence for this and FBI Special Agent Aaron Rouse told a news conference: “We have determined at this point no connection to an international terrorist organisation.”
On Monday Pope Francis offered his condolences and spiritual support to victims of the shooting. “Deeply saddened to learn of the shooting in Las Vegas, Pope Francis sends the assurance of his spiritual closeness to all those affected by this senseless tragedy,” read a 2 October telegram signed by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
Addressed to Las Vegas Bishop Joseph Anthony Pepe, the telegram offered the Pope's encouragement for the efforts of police and emergency services. Francis also offered prayers “for the injured and for all who have died, entrusting them to the merciful love of Almighty God.”
“Our hearts go out to everyone. We are praying for those who have been injured, those who have lost their lives, for the medical personnel and first responders who, with bravery and self- sacrifice have helped so many,” Bishop Pepe said in a statement on Monday. “We are also very heartened by the stories of all who helped each other in this time of crisis. As the Gospel reminds us, we are called to be modern day Good Samaritans. We continue to pray for all in Las Vegas and around the world whose lives are shattered by the events of daily violence.”
The nation has experienced “yet another night filled with unspeakable terror”, and “we need to pray and to take care of those who are suffering”, said Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). “In the end, the only response is to do good - for no matter what the darkness, it will never overcome the light. May the Lord of all gentleness surround all those who are suffering from this evil, and for those who have been killed we pray, eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.”
“Once again we must reach out in shock and horror to comfort the victims of a mass shooting in our country,” said Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago. “We reaffirm our commitment to nonviolence and to addressing the causes of such tragedies. At this time we come together in prayer and also in resolve to change a culture that has allowed such events to become commonplace. We must not become numb to these mass shootings or to the deadly violence that occurs on our streets month in and month out.”
Cardinal Cupich called for better access to mental health care and “stronger, sensible gun control laws”.
“We pray that there comes a day when the senseless violence that has plagued the nation for so long ends for good,” said Holy Cross Father John I. Jenkins, president of the University of Notre Dame. The bells of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the campus were to ring for all those affected by the Las Vegas tragedy.
The Catholic University of America in Washington offered prayers and support for the shooting victims. It also said campus counsellors and ministry staff were available to students needing help dealing with the deadly events.
“Violence has once again horrified us as a nation and drawn us together in sorrow. All of us - people of faith as well as those with no particular religious affiliation - are stunned by the tragic, senseless, and incomprehensible loss of life in Las Vegas,” said Atlanta Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory.
“Jesus is weeping with us and for us,” said Pittsburgh Bishop David A. Zubik. “It is time for us as a nation to require at least as much from those purchasing guns as we expect from those making application for a driver’s licence. Public safety must always come first.”
He called on lawmakers “to make it far more difficult for those with dangerously impaired moral reasoning, criminals and terrorists to make their point with a gun”.
“Join with me in prayer that we as a nation will seek to build a society in which the right to life is the standard against which all other rights are measured,” he said.
In an address from the White House on Monday, President Donald Trump described the attack as “pure evil”. He praised the efforts of the emergency services, saying their “miraculous” speed saved lives, and announced he would be visiting Las Vegas on Wednesday.