IT WAS supposed to be a fun night out under the Las Vegas stars.
Instead it ended with blood and terror, blind panic as thousands of terrified people desperately tried to find somewhere that might be safe, and incredible acts of human kindness as passing trucks became hearses and people queued to give blood.
David Schuch from Tupelo was in the crowd with his wife Sydney when the first shots split through the gentle sounds of the country song being performed on stage.
Festival headliner, Jason Aldean ( Brent N. Clarke/Invision/AP)
At first, like many, they thought they were hearing fireworks or the rhythmic crack of a helicopter’s blades. It took a moment to realise they were under attack.
“It was just complete chaos. People started running in different directions," he said. “When you heard the gunshots, you could kind of feel them hit the ground at your feet, and then the gravel was just hitting us in the legs.
“Every time we heard gunshots, I just kind of put my wife on the ground and jumped on top of her. And at that point, there were just hundreds of people just piled on top of each other trying to stay safe."
Their story was echoed by countless survivors. “We heard the gunshots, ducked, try to find cover, once we heard a little break in the popping noise we took off running,” said Brian Schmidt, from Bismarck, North Dakota. “There was no time to think about anything. It was all reaction.
“As far as sitting down and reflecting on this, that process hasn’t started yet. I have no idea when it will.”
Photo credit: AP
Anthony Kappenman, was standing close to the stage when he heard “repetitive popping".
“On the second burst I instantly knew there were no fireworks,” he said. “Then the crowd kind of picked up and realised there was gunfire. It was raining and hitting the concrete so you could hear it.”
There was sheer panic as thousands of people tried to figure out where the shots were coming from and how to escape.
“I grabbed my friend and held her close, tried to keep her at a good pace” – and then shots started landing near her,” he added. “I had one probably miss my head by about two inches.”
He was struck by shrapnel in his chin and a bullet in the leg during a barrage which is thought to have lasted between five to ten minutes. “People were trying to jump the fence, really anything they could do to scramble to safety”.
Photo credit: AP
Kevin Kropf from Orange County, California, sheltered under a table. “I saw a couple of people on the street covered up with sheets, and them loading one girl into the back of a truck. She was definitely dead … she looked to be in her mid-20s and whoever she was with, her husband, was in the back of the truck too. He was a mess.”
Harrowing phone footage showed people in a state of panic, unsure whether to lie flat on the ground or to break for cover.
Others scrabbled over walls, helped by strangers, before stumbling onto the Las Vegas Strip, unsure of where to find safety.
One man told how he had seen a girl sustain a gunshot wound to the head, other video taken in a tent showed people in ripped clothes and blood stained t.shirts desperately seeking cover.
Among those caught up in the horror was British tennis player Laura Robson. She later posted on social media that she was safe but “in shock”.
“I'm okay. We were right there… sounded like fireworks at first then everyone started running. Scary," she wrote.
"My friend who was deeper in the crowd has been helping people who were shot. We're all in shock," she added.
Photo credit: AP
The Las Vegas Strip, one of the world’s most famous routes, was placed in lock down, littered with casualties, some of whom were beyond hope. Drivers were flagged down and asked to take the injured to hospitals already struggling to cope.
By last night long queues had formed outside medical centres as locals lined up to give blood.
Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval called the shooting a "cowardly" act. "We are angry, we are grieving," he said. "We're confused. People are hurting.”
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