On Sunday, October 1, 2017, after country music superstar Jason Aldean had just taken the stage at the Route 91 Harvest festival, gunfire erupted from somewhere above the venue. Over the next 72 minutes, a heavily armed gunman named Stephen Paddock carried out the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
Paddock had checked into the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino a few days before the shooting. The Mandalay Bay is on the Las Vegas Strip and owned by MGM Resort. Paddock had managed to stockpile an arsenal of weapons in his suite on the 32nd floor. On the day of the shooting, Paddock broke two windows and fired hundreds of rounds into the crowd of 22,000 attending the festival across the street at the Las Vegas Village, also owned by MGM Resorts.
Lawsuits have already been filed against Mandalay Bay, the concert promoter Live Nation, and others for a lack of security. Gersowitz Libo & Korek, P.C. is investigating and gathering information in an effort to help the victims and their loved ones get the justice they deserve.
Could the Attack Have Been Stopped?
Gunman Paddock checked into his room at the Mandalay Bay on September 28th. According to Las Vegas law enforcement officials, between the time of check in and the horrific events of Sunday evening, the shooter was able to get 23 guns, including automatic assault rifles, and a large amount of ammunition into his 32nd floor room. Investigators also found “more than ten suitcases” in the room.
It is unthinkable how the gunman was able to pile up his Mandalay Bay room with so many firearms without raising suspicion from the hotel’s security personnel. Why did security fail to discover that he had so many weapons on the property? Las Vegas casinos are equipped with numerous security personnel and security cameras. If one small chip is taken off the tables, security guards will immediately surround you. Yet, in this case, nothing was done.
The 6-Minute Delay Raises Serious Security Questions
A federal official released a statement that Mandalay Bay hotel officials didn’t notify police about a shooting in a hallway inside the high-rise until after Stephen Paddock opened fire on the crowd. This disclosure means there may have been a delay of about six minutes in calling the police to the scene of what became the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
Jesus Campos, a security guard at the Mandalay Bay, ran into the gunman ahead of the massacre as he was responding to an alarm going off in the hotel and then ventured off to find the source when he came across Paddock drilling into an adjacent wall in the hallway. Campos was shot in the leg after Paddock reportedly fired 200 shots into the hallway. Paddock began shooting into the crowd six minutes later.
The people who were killed and injured deserved to have those six minutes to protect them.
Mandalay Bay’s Security Breakdown
Nevada premises liability law requires all Las Vegas hotels and casinos to provide reasonably safe and secure conditions at their properties. It seems Mandalay Bay failed to meet these standards and its basic legal duties under the law. Security breakdowns at these types of massive hotels put everyone at risk, including individuals outside of the facility.
If it can be proven that Mandalay Bay, Live Nation, or any other party involved provided security that was unlawfully negligent, each party can potentially be held liable for a third-party attack. These types of negligent security claims are complicated and should be handled by an experienced personal injury attorney.
We Can Help
If you or a loved one was injured or killed in the law Vegas mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival, the compassionate legal team at Gersowitz Libo & Korek P.C. is ready to fight for you. We have more than 39 years of experience and knowledge to aggressively fight for your rights and get you the full extent of the monetary compensation that you deserve.
To schedule a complimentary consultation with one of our Las Vegas mass shooting attorneys, please call 1-800-529-9997.
