this is bbc news. the headlines: the deadliest mass shooting in recent us history — at least 50 people are dead and more than 400 wounded in las vegas. all of a sudden we heard pop pop pop pop pop countless times and we all thought it was firecrackers, and it kept on going, then he fired for a bit and fired another 15—20 rounds and that's when we realised it was a fully automatic — sounded like a high powered rifle. police named the gunman is 64—year—old stephen paddock who was from nevada. he fired from his room on the 32nd floor of a hotel overlooking the open—air event. he was surrounded by police when they entered. as far as his history and background, we haven't completed that part of the investigation yet, but we located numerous firearms in the room that he occupied. police say a long and tedious investigation is underway. we will have the latest. the uk's fifth biggest airline,

monica airlines, has gone into administration. the company has begun laying off staff at its luton headquarters. the civil aviation authority is flying its passengers back back to the uk. the chancellor says there needs to be unity and focus on brexit so that the uk can secure a deal that will be good for jobs and prosperity. violence at the ballot box in spain — the european commission says catalonia's independence referendum was not legal and calls on both sides to talk. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. at least 50 people have died and more than 400 have been wounded, after a gunman opened fire at country music festival in las vegas. it's the deadliest gun attack in recent us history. police say the suspect — is a 64—year—old local man who has been named as stephen paddock.

he opened fire on the outdoor event from the thirty—second floor of the mandalay casino hotel on the city's sunset strip. police say the suspect killed himself before they arrived and had more than ten guns. video footage shows people attending the festival crouching down or dashing for cover as bursts of gunfire are heard. people were forced to shelter in hotels, restaurants and at las vegas airport which was closed to flights. president trump is due to make a televised address to the nation in half an hour. here is richard galpin with all of the details. the music had only just got underway. and for a few seconds, no one reacts to the burst of automatic gunfire. but then the band and thousands of fans try to take cover has more

high velocity bullets slammed into the air. but there is no safety here in this large open area. the only option is to run as the bullets keep slamming in. as people tried to escape the gunman opens fire again. he seems to have a large supply of ammunition. this couple had been right next to the stage. we just hit the ground. we laid there and hung onto each other. it was quiet for a bit and then he fired another 30

rounds and then quiet. what we were doing was every time he had stopped and reloaded, we got up and started to make our way towards the fence. then he would shoot again and we would hit the ground. i must have heard him do that at least 15 times. this is a real situation. people staying in nearby hotels were told to take shelter. we were down in the gym basement. this group had been at a party, having to hide in the basement gym. the attack took place just after ten o'clock last night. it was right in the heart of las vegas, in the famous strip of hotels, casinos and concert venues. the gunman was in the mandalay bay hotel on the 32nd floor, firing down onto the music festival across the road below. hundreds of ambulances and police vehicles soon swamped the area. before they arrived, local people, including hotel workers, had been helping the injured. my co—workers started to see lots of people who were shot in the chest, arms. some were shot in the thighs. a lot of people were shot coming onto our property. people were hysterical.

specialist firearms officers moved in once they knew where the gunman was firing from. they broke into his hotel room but say they had already killed himself. the man, who lived in nevada, and has been named as 64—year—old stephen paddock, was killed. we are comfortable that the primary aggressor in this event has expired, or passed away, and is no longer a threat. there have been multiple phone calls and accusations, or conjecture, coming through social media that there are multiple shooters at other resorts. that has proven to be false. additionally, there have been accusations or beliefs there are explosives going off. that is also false.

the police now believe they have also located this woman, 62—year—old marilou danley, who has been described as the companion of the gunman. they now believe she was not involved. with at least 50 people known to have been killed and 200 injured, this has been the deadliest mass shooting in us history. that was richard galpin reporting. hillary clinton, the former president of candidate, has tweeted. she says: —— presidential candidate. that was just a couple of minutes ago. before her, barack 0bama

tweeted, describing it as a senseless killing. our correspondent barbara plett usher is in washington. we will be hearing from donald trump in the next half an hour. what can he say? it's the challenge for a president, isn't it, to be able to say something meaningful after a horrific tragedy like this. it is something president 0bama struggled with towards the end of his time in office. he almost adopted a weary tone, saying i'm having to make these statements. he used the attacks as a way to push for tighter gun control legislation and restrictions. i don't think we can expect donald trump to do that. he has presented himself as a champion of the gun industry. in the past he has been quick to use the word terrorism. i think we will be looking to see if he does that today. police have so far said they are not calling it a terrorist attack, there is no evidence the attacker was operating from any sort of political or religious belief. we

will see what tone president trump adopts. we will see how he tries to comfort the nation. and what he says about how his administration will deal with this issue. and the difficulty is with so many people in hospital, 406 at the last count, that death toll will probably rise. it could very well, yes. when the sheriff first announced the death toll of 50, he said something like 50 plus, which seemed to indicate that the numbers were above 50. at the time of making the announcement he was talking about 200 injured, now we know there are more than 400 people taken to hospital. some of the injuries must have been to do with some of the stampeding which took place when everybody ran in panic when the shooting started. but there are certainly a lot of gunshot wounds, as well. the shooter had an open field. there was no place to ta ke open field. there was no place to take shelter. he sustained gun power

for —— gunfire for a significant amount of time. he reloaded several times. he had an automatic weapon. so, yes, we can expect the death toll to rise. thanks very much. let's ta ke toll to rise. thanks very much. let's take you to las vegas. 0n the 32nd floor of the mandalay bay hotel, that's the scene. we believe that the window from which the shots we re that the window from which the shots were fired. as you can see, broken glass. probably broken by the gunman so glass. probably broken by the gunman so he could access, as barbara was describing, but concert venue. we cannot verify exactly that this is the room but it does seem highly likely. that's where the gunman was found by police when they broke into the room minutes after the attack had happened. 50 dead, more than 400 in hospital, and an investigation, and the underway into why the

gunman, stephen paddock, 64—year—old, carried that attack out. donald trump is expected to make a statement in the next 20 minutes at the white house. we will ta ke minutes at the white house. we will take you there for that. this is becoming the worst mass shooting in american history. let's take a look at what we know about the suspected gunman, stephen paddock. 0fficials officials say they don't know how long he had been living in the area. he had no previous two robert rinder factions with the police, except for one citation ten years ago. at least ten rifles were found in his hotel

room, which he had been staying at since thursday. he apparently killed himself as police stormed his room on the 32nd floor. monique and paul dumas were at the concert, at the front of the crowd, when the gunman started firing. they told our colleague at cbs news, john blackstone, what they saw and heard. we were at centre stage. at the front. dancing. having a good time. jason was playing. all of a sudden we heard pop pop pop jason was playing. all of a sudden we heard pop pep p0p p0p jason was playing. all of a sudden we heard pop pop pop pop pop pop jason was playing. all of a sudden we heard p0p p0p p0p p0p p0p p0p p0p several times. then he fired about 15, 20 rounds, and that is when we realised that it may have been an automatic rifle. we just hung onto each other. then it was quiet for a bit. then another 30 rounds. then it was quiet. every time he stopped, he was quiet. every time he stopped, he was reloaded, so we got up and started making our way towards the fence. he'd start shooting again, so

we would hit the ground. what were you thinking when you are lying there and all of these shots are going off again and again? you are not thinking it is happening. at the same time you are thinking i need to i’ui'i same time you are thinking i need to run for my life. but i had to hang onto my husband. we don't need to panic, we just need to get safe, we need to get away from this. all of you were there, lying down? yes. did you were there, lying down? yes. did you see anybody get hit? no, but behind the scene there were people calling for a medic and security. i think somebody had been hit on the right—hand side of the stage. think somebody had been hit on the right-hand side of the stage. as we we re right-hand side of the stage. as we were leaving to the left, we were going to ourcar were leaving to the left, we were going to our car in the parking lot, and people were laying on the ground with people on top of them. so we knew there were half a dozen we saw. you got out of the venue and they directed you into the mandalay bay

hotel? fences were getting kicked down because we were trapped. people we re down because we were trapped. people were taking on the fences, climbing over the top of them. we made it. we we re over the top of them. we made it. we were directed into them mandalay bay. as we were coming through the mandalay bay we didn't know that a p pa re ntly mandalay bay we didn't know that apparently at the time he was shooting in the rooms. we made it out of mandalay bay. you came a long way down the strip from this. 0h, yeah. you said it seemed like 15 times he reloaded with multiple... easily, with at least 30 rounds he was firing. it was about four, five minutes of gunshots. my sister also has video. there are five minutes of us has video. there are five minutes of us running and hearing gunshots, hiding behind cars, trying to get as far away as possible. when the shooting would stop you would run, and as soon as you heard bullets again you would hit the dirt? we weren't really running, we were

calm, but some people were running and we stopped them. because things we re and we stopped them. because things were bottling up. we calmly kept going. then we were out. once we got onto the street we started to run. you are saying as people were exiting with all of these bullets going people were calm? yes. it was remarkable. we were saying stay calm, don't push, don't panic, don't trample, it was strange to see that, that everybody was still looking out for everyone at the same time as trying to escape. more people could have got heard just getting out of there. yeah. absolutely. what relief was it when you finally got out and well away? it hasn't hit me yet. i didn't really find relief. i was still nervous coming all the way from there to hear. we didn't know if they had found him, caught him,

we don't know if he is out there coming for us. it was nerve—racking coming for us. it was nerve—racking coming over here. do you think it was just one shooter, given all of the reloading? it sounded like that. it was constant pop pop pop pop pop p0p it was constant pop pop pop pop pop p°p p0p- it was constant pop pop pop pop pop pop pop. it did not sound like two guns shooting. then it went quite for ten, 15 seconds, then pop pop p0p p0p p0p p0p p0p for ten, 15 seconds, then pop pop p0p p0p p0p p0p pop again. for ten, 15 seconds, then pop pop pop pop pop pop pop again. police have named 64—year—old stephen paddock is the gunman. the reuters have reported that the las vegas shooter converted to islam a few months ago. that is according to the reuters news agency. 0ur colleagues at bbc monitoring say that islamic state has claimed responsibility for the las vegas shooting. they said the las vegas shooting. they said the perpetrator was a soldier of the

islamic state. there is nothing in the police enquiry so far to suggest that either of those statements is correct. that is what the reuters news agency is reporting. and we are also hearing from our colleagues at bbc monitoring. that is what the islamic state public relations team are stating. there is nothing so far to suggest that is based on fact. i wa nt to to suggest that is based on fact. i want to show you what's happening in washington. we're waiting to hear from donald trump. scheduled to speak in the next 15 minutes. as you can see, cameras are in place and ready for that statement. reporters waiting. the presidential seal there. we will take you to the white house as soon as that statement gets underway. donald trump expected in the next few minutes. world leaders

and politicians have been responding to the attack. donald trump offering his condolences and sympathies to the families of what he described as the families of what he described as the terrible las vegas shooting. here, borisjohnson said he was horrified by the awful and indiscriminate attack. he said he was also looking into whether any british citizens were involved. pope francis sunday telegraph assuring the victims and families of his prayers as well as commending the effo rts prayers as well as commending the efforts of the police and emergency services. —— assent a telegraph. this is just the latest of many mass shootings in the us, unfortunately. a little earlier we spoke to dr alan lipman — who is a clinical psychologist, and the director of the center for the study of violence in washington dc. he said it was unusual for a suspect of this type of shooting to be in his 60s. first of all our hearts go out to what you describe is the worst shooting of so many i've seen over the last 30 years of american

history. what's unusual about this shooting is the fact is that typically for all of the mass shootings we have seen since the 90s when this horrific phenomenon began, typically the shooters tend to be young males in their 20s. to have someone young males in their 20s. to have someone who is 64 years old, as is the case with stephen paddock, is somewhat unusual, although we have seen somewhat unusual, although we have seen it before. it is likely that one of three scenarios, or more than that... they are not mutually exclusive, is at work here. first, a credence killing. somebody was enraged. there was a triggering event. somebody who was already predisposed to weapons. he had many weapons on him. and as a result of this triggering event decided to ta ke this triggering event decided to take himself out eventually knowing he would be taken out as well as the people would be taken out against him. for example, as we have seen in

shootings in the past, such as columbine. the second is a anti—social pattern where the person isa anti—social pattern where the person is a violent —— has a violent element against society. whether it isa element against society. whether it is a terrorist or non—terrorist form. these things have a way of playing out over time. we have no evidence of any kind of history of extreme violence or terrorist activity with this individual. there is often much talk in the immediate wa ke is often much talk in the immediate wake of these shootings of multiple shooters, various kinds of rumours. right now there is no evidence of such activity. and the third is of some kind of serious mental illness, whether that is eight, kind of, psychosis, like we saw in the case of the shooting of gabriele difference. all the virginia tech shooting. 0r another serious

disorder. again, we don't have evidence. but the most important element here is the continuing availability of automatic weapons with high—volume rounds in the united states. this is what we saw in the gabriele giffords shooting. had they not been at high—capacity magazine we would not have had the type of horrific tragedy which we have seen. and we see this again and again and again. this is something that in the united states we must stop. because when we combine this with the kind of rage that often occu i’s with the kind of rage that often occurs right before these events, the easy availability of such a lethal weapon is a tragic combination that is the cause of these events. we will take you to

these events. we will take you to the white house as soon as donald trump gets to the podium. he is expected to speak in eight minutes. let's return to a domestic agenda. the chancellor philip hammond has called for unity and focus on brexit — and said it would not be easy. his comments in his speech to the conservative conference followed a warning from the british chambers of commerce, which complained there was a lack of competence and coherence at the heart of government. 0ur political correspondent alex forsyth reports. facing more questions about her cabinet the pm arrived at the conference. theresa may's team are still hoping to shift the focus from politics to policy. the chancellor used his speech to defend the conservatives' role in government and outline plans for the future, including investment in infrastructure. today i am announcing a further £300 million to future proof the railway network in the north, ensuring hsz infrastructure can link up with future northern powerhouse and midland rail projects,

while keeping open all options for services through manchester piccadilly. and, aware of the challenge of labour, the chancellor defended the tories‘ approach to the economy and offered his thoughts on brexit. if we get this right, britain will have a bright future beyond brexit. but to get to it, we must be clear eyed but to get to it, we must be clear eyed about the challenges on the way and we must not downplay the difficulties nor underestimate the complexity. this will be one of the most challenging tasks ever undertaken by a peacetime government in this country. but with focus and determination and unity, we will succeed. but business groups, despite the chancellor's efforts to reassure, are concerned about division and disorganisation in government. i think this is about competence and coherence at the heart of government. businesses around the country are telling us they need to see that, because their confidence, their willingness to invest,

depends upon a coherent programme. this conference is a chance for the conservatives to set out their vision for the country. brexit is inevitably a big part of that, and because the party does not always agree on the best approach to leaving the european union, that prompts questions about unity at the top levels, and therefore, leadership. borisjohnson is taking much of the blame for provoking chat about the prime minister's authority. the chancellor today was asked about his colleague's future in the cabinet. we also have the pm's discretion, it is up to her to decide who she wants to have in her cabinet and indeed what roles people in the cabinet play. but he is sackable? i always operate on the principle that everyone can be sacked. they are presenting a united front.

this cabinet squabbling harming the unity? —— is cabinet squabbling. behind the scenes, there are challenges. 0ur chief political correspondent vicki young is at the conference. a reaction has been lukewarm when it comes to the business community, saying it was good analysis, good diagnosis, but not the answer is they were looking for. i'm joined by they were looking for. i'm joined by the conservative mp for dover and member of the treasury select committee. businesses saying confidence is low, not enough red meat from the chancellor, they wa nted meat from the chancellor, they wanted more to encourage investment. many of these voices were arguing for us to stay within the european union and predicting that as soon as we left we would seek immediate economic collapse and job losses. that is yet to happen. it's important we look forward at how —— as to how we can get the best deal for britain. the chancellor had a

warning, we must be clear eyed about the challenges, and that this was the challenges, and that this was the most challenging task undertaken bya the most challenging task undertaken by a peacetime government. are there some people who are not being realistic about this? that's what is important. this is a big task. we need to make sure we're ready on day one, deal or no deal, prepare for every eventuality. i represent over. if things go wrong, that is where the queues start. that is why we must have a plan and it is so important the chancellor underlined how we were to get ready. have you heard about apparent squabbling within the cabinet about the direction and how we go ahead with brexit when it comes to a transition, when it comes to our long—term relationship with the eu? this is a huge task. it's important we have a full discussion and debate. notjust in the cabinet, not just in the tory party, but as a nation —— but in the nation as a whole. we need to make sure britain isa whole. we need to make sure britain is a success in the years to come. inaudible

when business organisations say their businesses are uncertain, they are holding back on investment, are you suggesting they are not telling the truth? clearly there is an issue. we have been clearer as a government that we want to do a positive deal with europe. —— been clear as a government. we want to trade with the world. we want to continue to have a close relationship with europe. the issue isn't with this government. so sadly often the issue is with brussels. brussels is very intransigent and not instructive in terms of finding a path forward. —— constructive in terms of finding a path forward. we work closely with wider member states were looking for a deal. but also if there isn't a deal to be had, we are ready whatever happens. when it comes to a transition deal, are you happy with that approach and policy, do you think it needs to be

time—limited, do you think it should go beyond two years? it has been discussed that it would two years. that would be fine. to use that time constructively to get a deal for this country. but we must also be ready for any eventuality, which includes, potentially, that there is not a deal to be done. thank you. brexit very much being talked about at this conference as you would imagine. with the uncertainty that there still is after philip hammond's warning that this is a huge undertaking for the government. thanks very much. we are still waiting for donald trump to appear at the white house. he is scheduled to give a news conference at 3:30pm. before we go there, and before he appears, we will take you very quickly for a weather update. good afternoon. it's been a blast

and today. gale force winds in the north. we have seen some gusts close to 60 mph. but there have been some brea ks to 60 mph. but there have been some breaks in the cloud and some sunshine coming through. you can see that on the satellite. winds will slowly start to ease and can be confined into the far north of scotland. at the same time down into the south—west we will see rain gathering. at the end of the day that will brush with channel facing coasts. winds will be light through the night. in towns and city centres temperatures will dip to around nine to 11 degrees. italy start in rural areas first thing. lovely styles of sunshine on tuesday. a few showers in the north—west. a quiet story, though, highs of 12 to 16 celsius. this will continue over england and wales as we move into wednesday. some wet and windy spells of weather continuing into northern ireland and scotland. highs of ten to 16. this is bbc news.

our latest headlines: a mass shooting at a las vegas concert leaves more than 50 people dead and more than 400 injured. the attacker fired from his room on the 32nd floor of a hotel overlooking the open air event. he was found dead by police when they entered. we police when they entered. heard pop, pop, pop, cc times we heard pop, pop, pop, countless times and we all thought it was firecrackers and then it kept on going and then he fired for a bit and he fired another 15 and 20 rounds and that's when we realised it was a fully automatic. police have named the gunman as stephen paddock from nevada. we are going to show you the scene in the white house because we are into the moment we are expect to go hear from donald trump who is giving

an unscheduled statement. he is due to give a statement from the diplomatic room. he is attending a white house event relating to cutting red tape and excessive government lations, but his itinerary will have been altered by events in las vegas. he tweeted earlier offering his condolences to the victims and their families. we know that over 50 people were killed in that attack with 406 people taken to hospital after 64—year—old stephen paddock opened fire from the 32nd floor of the mandalay bay hotel towards the open air music festival which was attended by 22,000 people. borisjohnson, the which was attended by 22,000 people. boris johnson, the foreign secretary, has tweeted that he and his office are trying to clarify whether any british people were involved. we understand that laura robson was in the audience and tweeted to say she is fine, but

describing it as a very scary moment. she heard the gunfire. the attack is now the worst in recent us history with at least 50 people dead. more than 400 injured after the gunman opened fire on the music festival in las vegas last night. it goes down in history as the deadliest attack in recent history there. this is the man who police say carried out the attack. 64—year—old stephen paddock. 0fficials carried out the attack. 64—year—old stephen paddock. officials say he repeatedly fired into the crowd and killed himself before the police arrived. police found ten more guns this his room. police gave us this update. we received information that there was an active shooter that was firing rounds from the 32nd floor and that individuals that were attending the festival, the number is estimated to be 22,000 were being struck by the rounds. the fire

department is estimating the injuries to be well over 400 and the deaths associated with this event to be over 50. i can't give you an exact number yet because we're still investigating some of the areas involved in the event where the concert was taking place and we can accessing individuals that were hidden and it is a matter of a process. so it will take a while for us process. so it will take a while for us to get through the evasion phase and we will have an assessment on the injuries associated with that. now, our suspect was identified as stephen paddock, 64 years old, a white male from nevada. we have no investigative information or background associated with this individual that is derogatory. the only thing we can tell is he

received a citation several years ago. some important things that i need to get out. the family reunification is taking place at the las vegas metropolitan police headquarters. so any individuals that are looking for answers for theirfamily that are looking for answers for their family members or friends are welcome to come here and we will provide that information as we get that. i am provide that information as we get that. iam happy provide that information as we get that. i am happy to answer any questions. reporter: sheriff, can you talk about what the scene was like in that room when you officers walked inside? we believe the individual killed himself prior to our entry. how many weapons was he found with? we are going through the search warrant actively at this time, but it is in excess of ten rifles. what's the status? we have located her out of the country. she was not with him when he checked in. we have discovered he was utilising some of

her identification and we have had conversation with her and we believe her at this time not to be involved, but that investigation will continue. as far as his residence in nevada, we have officers there serving a search warrant. so that's the latest in terms of the police investigation. we are waiting, we have got our eyes on the white house and are awaiting donald trump who is running five minutes late. we are expecting, we are told he will speak about what has happened in las vegas. we don't know what he will say. i want you to hear from jason tolan who is inside the mandalay bay hotel on the strip. he described the moment he heard gunfire. in the room they have a little air vent that you can open and close and i had it open for fresh can open and close and i had it open forfresh air and can open and close and i had it open forfresh airandi can open and close and i had it open forfresh air and i could hear the concert really well and i was talking to my friend, i heard the first salvo which at first i thought

was more of a motorcycle out front, in the front parking lot area. just revving its engines. it lasted for a good ten seconds and then continued my conversation and then a few more seconds after that, it happened again andi seconds after that, it happened again and i listened really carefully that time. i said, "that's not a motorcycle." when i went to my window and checked things out there, ididn't window and checked things out there, i didn't see any fireworks. but i did hear glass breaking. i started hearing glass shattering and breaking. i laid down. i got down on my stomach. i had the phone on speaker so my friend could hear me, you know, hear the gunshots too and several salvoes went, several bursts and when i was looking down at the concert area i could see that people we re concert area i could see that people were moving, people were scattering. where earlier, you know, just 15

minutes before that, they were shoulder—to—shoulder packed in there. ? jason, i don't know what floor you're on, but were you aware this noise was coming from the hotel where you are? i don't know what sort of view you have got from your room, perhaps you can show us and give us some view that the gunman would have had ? give us some view that the gunman would have had? i have the exact same view. i'm on the 12th floor. just the same angle. so if you can see the big black structure there, that's the stage and before that is where all the folks were at. there is some concession tents on the side. you could see people running from that stage once you realised what was going on? yeah, in front of the stage. it was lit. you know like concert lighting and then there was some spotlight and things like that

on the crowd itself, but pretty much that whole area, that hole area in front of the stage there, was full of people. jason, just clarify for me. there is that brown block in the middle of the picture there. is that what we are talking about? yes, that's the stage. so, what's happening there now?|j that's the stage. so, what's happening there now? i think they're going through forensics procedures. there has been flash photography all night. i can't see it through the picture here, but there are some white body bags there. lots of debris. like trash and things like that. of course, as we can see, it is dawn breaking in las vegas right now. 0ver is dawn breaking in las vegas right now. over a strip which must still be in shock. what are people around you saying? i haven't banl to talk to anyone. i haven't been able to leave my room. i'm only getting a

few m essa g es leave my room. i'm only getting a few messages from the conference hosts here at mandalay bay that i'm attending and they told to just stay in the rooms. that was a clearly distressed jason toland speaking to me from the hotel where the attack originated. no sign of donald trump. his aide said he would be speaking at 3.30pm our time. he is running ten minutes late. so we willjust keep an eye on that. just to update you on the news we brought you earlier where we were quoting reuters, the news agency, who were saying that islamic state said that the gunman had, stephen paddock, had converted to his lamb and also from bbc monitoring who said, islamic state were claiming responsibility for the attack, saying that he was one of their members. we're just

hearing that two senior us officials say there is no evidence at this time at that the las vegas shooter is connected to any international militant group. as we were saying then, no evidence that the police investigation was looking into that possibility. senior us officials discounting the islamic state claim of responsibility for the las vegas shooting of the that's the latest coming as faras shooting of the that's the latest coming as far as the investigation is concerned. let's look at the gunman, himself, stephen paddock. this, the man, that the us networks and police are saying is the 64—year—old gunman responsible for this attack. we have not independently verified this photograph, but and it is undated, but it is being used by the american media to illustrate the man they believe was responsible for the attack. las vegas police say the gunman was a local man. he checked into the hotel on thursday and shot himself in his hotel room as police we re himself in his hotel room as police were trying to gain entry. well, throughout the day we have

been hearing from people who were at the concert who were close by and saw the chaos and panic and just a warning that some viewers may find the accounts of what people saw as distressing. 0n about the third song we just hear like this noise. it sounded like fireworks. a couple of pops going off. and everybodyjust kind of... didn't think much. theyjust off. and everybodyjust kind of... didn't think much. they just thought it was fireworks and the performer kept going and then it went off again... like ten seconds later it we nt again... like ten seconds later it went off. you see the performer run off the stage. the whole stage goes black and people are saying, "get down. get down." that's when you knew it was obviously like a shooter. we're all on the ground. we can't see anything. it's dark. all we hear is gunshots going off. it

keeps going off. it stops for a minute and somebody says, "he's reloading, run." minute and somebody says, "he's reloading, run. " everybody minute and somebody says, "he's reloading, run." everybody gets up and starts to run and you see people getting trampled. i was looking on the ground and people are bloody. there is kids. people are burning their hands on grills because there is barbecues everywhere. there was elderly. it was crazy. all of a sudden we heard pop, pop, pop, countless of times and we thought it was firecrackers and it kept going and he fired for a bit and then he fired another 15 or 20 rounds and that's when we realised it was a fully automatic, we just hit the ground and hung on to each other. we we re ground and hung on to each other. we were going out of the exit doors when maybe ten or 15 people ran straight past us. we didn't think too much about it and then a few seconds later it was hundreds just running in and obviously we didn't real fully understand what was going on at that time, but obviously turned around and went straight back

into the casino and hundreds of people running, crying, screaming, dropping bags, dropping shoes, dropping bags, dropping shoes, dropping everything they could. we we nt dropping everything they could. we went up to the balcony and i'm stuck on that balcony four hours later. what i can see on my left—hand side is the big sign and we were on top of the concert. we were about 20 floors above the shooting which is just insane. we were actually taking photos and my girlfriend and i took video and we were looking for the fireworks because that's what it sounded like. somebody said it is gunfire andl sounded like. somebody said it is gunfire and i thought it couldn't be because it was so intense. i was listening to someone who was at the concert and how horrific that must have been to see people falling. people were running and we are up here looking at them like a movie going, "what's going on? look at all those people lying on the floor

dead." no, that can't be. we heard a sound like sounded like a huge jackhammer. just massive amounts of bursts of guns. we didn't know what it was and then we started seeing more glass and shotgun rounds mid—floor of the hotel and itjust came down and we didn't know what was going on. it wasjust very traumatic. it was so surreal because on the casino floor people were just still gambling and doing their thing. people waiting at the restaurants to get to the top floor and i'm like, "guys, get out of here. there is an active shooter. this is insane. " let's just show you what is happening at the white house. this is the diplomatic room. we are awaiting a news conference from donald trump. he has tweeted in the past saying he offers his warm condolences to those who suffered loss, of course, many people still inundating a hot line wanting to

know if relatives who they believe we re know if relatives who they believe were in las vegas were involved in that shooting. frank gardner is here. nobody is calling him a terrorist. but this is the nature of terrorism, bringing fear to the streets of an every day scene in las vegas? to classify as terrorism it would have to be for some kind of political aim or identifiable aim and we don't know what was in that man's mind when he opened fire. he may have been extremely mentally disturbed. he may have been extremely angry about something. it could have been something as minor of the fact that he got a parking ticket that day and i am being hypothetical, i'm throwing things up. we the don't know what was in the state of his mind. there was no, so far, we're told by us officials that there is no sign of a terrorist connection. so in other words, there is no para fend nailia linking him

to any identifiable organisation that has terrorist aspirations. there has been a claim from a certain organisation, there is nothing to back that up at the moment. so i think, you know, there isa moment. so i think, you know, there is a lot of going back over what do his mobile phone records say? who was he with? what do people know about this guy? did he have any medical or psychiatric records? the scary thing here is the amount of people that he was able to kill and maim from that vantage point. this once again, and how many times have we sat here talking about the gun laws in united states calls, nevada has some of the weakest gun laws in the country and many people will say, well, as they always say, something has got to be done about this. about three years ago we went over to the states and we did something on this. i remember interviewing piers morgan and he said, "the thing ifind extraordinary about the united states, it is one of the most

advanced countries in the world, and yet when it comes to gun law, they are, ithink yet when it comes to gun law, they are, i think he used the word pre—historic or similar, that they we re pre—historic or similar, that they were backward, people don't seem to understand that it is wrong for private citizens to be able to walk into a shop, with simply an id card and buy a machine gun, into a shop, with simply an id card and buya machine gun, a into a shop, with simply an id card and buy a machine gun, a fully automatic machine gun that you can lock and load and spray automatic weapons fire over people. there is no possible justification for that in hunting orany no possible justification for that in hunting or any other purpose. and when, jon sopel interviewed barack 0bama and said what is your one regret? lack of gun control? he could not cut through the gun lobby, post every other atrocity that they have had in the united states, you would think, you know, we had that already in britain. we've had our dunblane. there was a teacher who bought two handguns and went in and shot a load of children in the scottish high school. we had

hungerford where years ago in the 80s, where he got an automatic weapon. laws were tightened after that. you can't own pistols and practise them. they can't be taken off where they can be fired. someone strict like bisley, it is stricter in this country. in the united states it is considered as a birth right and it is strong and the national rifle association. the investigation will focus on the one man and his history may or may not come out. he has one minor violation on the police record. he has come out of nowhere and this is the danger? this is why people say racial profiling a, it has got a distasteful, but it isn't that efficient because you know if you we re efficient because you know if you were to look at... it is the age as well, 64—year—olds tend not to do this? it is the classic why bother patting down the dear old

grandmother at check—in because anybody can have a malign intent, anybody can have a malign intent, anybody can have a malign intent, anybody can a terrorist regardless of age, race, colour, here is somebody that doesn't fit that profile. it tends to look at more of a personal grudge or personal issue that this guy had. frank, thank you very much. we are still waiting for donald trump. this is the scene at the white house. he was scheduled to speak at 3.30pm. he is running 20 minutes late. no idea. he is probably aim to go hit the american brea kfast probably aim to go hit the american breakfast networks as well. it is a strange delay, but we will go to the white house as soon as he takes to that podium. we will have a summary of the business news in the next few minutes. in a moment a summary of the business news this hour

but first the headlines on bbc news: the deadliest mass shooting in recent us history. at least 50 people are dead and more than 400 wounded in las vegas. this is the man us media are reporting to be the suspect who has been named as 64—year—old stephen paddock. the attacker fired from his room on the 32nd floor of a hotel overlooking the open air event. he was found dead by police when they entered. donald trump has taken to the podium. let'sjoin him now. podium. let's join him now. thank you. my fellow americans, we're joined together today in sadness, shock, and grief. last night a gunman opened fire on a large crowd at a country music concert in las vegas, nevada. he brutally murdered more than 50 people and wounded hundreds more. it was an act of pure evil.

the fbi and the department of homeland security are working closely with local authorities to assist with the investigation and they will provide updates as to the investigation and how it develops. i wa nt to investigation and how it develops. i want to thank the las vegas metropolitan police department and all of the first responders for their courageous efforts and for helping to save the lives of so many. the speed with which they acted is miraculous and prevented further loss of life. to have found the shooter so quickly after the first shots were fired is something for which we will always be thankful and grateful. it shows what true professionalism is all about.

hundreds of our fellow citizens are now mourning the sudden loss of a loved one. a parent, a child, a brother, or sister. we cannot fathom their pain. we cannot imagine their loss. to the families of the victims, we are praying for you and we are here for you and we ask god to help see you through this very dark period. scripture teaches us the lord is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. we seek comfort in those lords z words for we know that god lives in the hearts of those who grieve. to the hearts of those who grieve. to the wounded, who are now recovering in hospitals, we are praying for your full in hospitals, we are praying for yourfull and in hospitals, we are praying for your full and speedy recovery and pledge to you, our support from this day forward. in memory of the

fallen, i have directed that our great flag be flown at half staff. i will be visiting las vegas on wednesday to meet with law enforcement, first responders, and the families of the victims. in moments of tragedy and horror, america comes together as one. and it always has. we call upon the bonds that unite us, our faith, our family, and our shared values. we call upon the bonds of citizenship, the ties of community, and the comfort of our common humanity. 0ur unity cannot be shattered by evil. 0ur bonds cannot be broken by violence and though we feel such great anger at the senseless murder of our fellow citizens, it is our love that defines us today. and

a lwa ys love that defines us today. and always will forever. in times such as these, i know we are searching for some kind of meaning in the chaos. some kind of light in the darkness. the answers do not come easy. but we can take solace knowing that even the darkest space can be brightened by a single light and even the most terrible despair can be illuminated by a single ray of hope. me landia and i are praying for every american who has been hurt, wounded or lost, the ones they love so dearly this this terrible, terrible attack. we pray for the entire nation to find unity and peace and we pray for the day when evil is banished and the innocent are safe from hatred and from fear.

may god bless the souls of the lives that are lost. may god give us the grace of healing and may god provide the grieving families with strength to carry on. thank you. god bless america. thank you. a sombre donald trump. praying the work of the las vegas police department who he said for responding so quickly and he said the speed of the response he has no doubt prevented further loss of life. he described his country as one in sadness, shock and grief at the events this las vegas, but described the speed of the police response as miraculous. he said we can't imagine the loss of people who lost their loved ones in this

attack. he said, "me landia and i are praying for you." flags will fly at half—mast in the united states in the coming days and he said he was planning to go to las vegas himself on wednesday and will visit the scene and some of those who are being treated for their injuries. we will bring you more from washington, berb ra plett—usher is our correspondent and we will be talking to her in the next hour. let's catch up to her in the next hour. let's catch up with the weather. louise lear can bring us the forecast. good afternoon. well, it started off blustery and there is rain starting to show it's hand in the last couple of hours. the rain will brush fleetingly with the far south of the country through the early half of the evening and then it will clear away and then we will see lighter winds, clearer skies and temperatures falling away. single figures in rural spots, a chilly

start to tuesday, but a decent start to tuesday and sunshine coming through. a scattering of light showers by comparison to today and a lighter breeze as well. highs of around 12 to 17 celsius. that's 63 fahrenheit. it looks as though the dry weather will continue across england and wales for much of wednesday. weather fronts skirting across the top bringing strengthening winds and rain into scotla nd strengthening winds and rain into scotland and behind me, there will be some wetter weather that will start to show its hand by the end of the day on wednesday and that could bring heavy rain and some strong winds on wednesday night and into the early hours of thursday morning. ahead of it, enjoy the brightness with highs of 12 to 16 celsius. this is bbc news. the headlines: the deadliest mass shooting in recent us history — at least 50 people are dead and more than 400 wounded in las vegas. president trump describes it as an act of pure evil. hundreds of our fellow citizens are now mourning the sudden loss of a loved one. a parent, a child, a brother, or

sister. police named the gunman as 64—year—old stephen paddock who was from nevada. he fired from his room on the 32nd floor overlooking the open—air event which is where he was found dead when police entered. all of a sudden we heard pop pop pop pop pop countless times and we all thought it was firecrackers, and it kept on going, then he fired for a bit and fired another 15—20 rounds and that's when we realised