Bay Area concert goer shoots graphic video of Las Vegas shooting
Ricky Rosas, 40, a mechanic from Hayward, California, was among the 22,000 people at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas when a lone gunman whipped out a rifle and sprayed the crowd, killing at least 58 and wounding more than 500.
Rosas’ cell phone video captured the rat-a-tat-tat of rapid gunfire, and the screams of country music lovers crouched on the grass by the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino about 10 p.m. Sunday night.
“Shots fired at the concert!” “Where is it coming from? Where is it coming from?” “This ain’t cool, at a f—ing concert!”
The shouts and chaos show bedlam at what is being considered the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Gunman Stephen Paddock, 64, is considered the lone mastermind behind the attack. Las Vegas County Sheriff Joeseph Lombardo said Paddock killed himself and had no prior criminal history. Paddock’s brother, Eric, told the Fox affiliate in Orlando, that his brother had no political affiliations and he was dumbstruck by the attack.
Rosas witnessed this horrific slice of history and shared his video and story with KTVU. He said he had saved enough money and time off of work to hear one of his musical favorites, Jason Aldean. And he had flown to Vegas to meet up with friends for what was supposed to be a fun event.
“I was enjoying the concert,” he said. “And all of a sudden, we heard popping sounds, like firecrackers. Then people started scattering. I watched a lady just fall.”
The scene, he said, was “pretty surreal.”
“I’m still in shock,” he said. “I couldn’t sleep.”
When he returned to the hotel, he said the elevators weren’t working and people were panicking. “People were running everywhere,” he said. “People were trying to get out of the place, but there was nowhere to take cover.”
Rosas said no one was sure at first that the gunfire was real. But he said he figured it out when Aldean ran off stage.
“It was pretty scary,” Rosas said. “It’s something you see or hear on TV, but in another country.”