indeed it is. >> acknowledging the courageous efforts of first responders on the ground. he will meet with them as well as victims' families when he goes on the ground in las vegas on wednesday. >> bill: stay with fox throughout the day. for sandra smith. >> jon: a fox news alert, the deadliest mass shooting in modern america history, already with the number of dead certain to rise. moments ago we heard from president trump, hello, i am jon scott. >> and i melissa francis. president trump made his first on camera comments of the deadly shooting in las vegas that left more than 50 people dead. the president calling the massacre an act of pure evil. saying that americans are united in sadness, shock, and grief. after a country music concert became a killing field. [shots fired]

[screaming] >> melissa: some witnesses saying that the automatic gunfire lasted 10 minutes, and while police do not know the motive, they do know the identity of the 64-year-old gunman. >> we are looking at an excess of 50 individual dead, the suspect, i'm going to provide you his identity at this point. his name is stephen paddock. there will be a long and tedious investigation. >> melissa: here's what we know so far, a lot has come out. police say that they found the gunman dead inside the hotel room where they also discovered as many as ten weapons, the sheriff saying that at this point today believe this was a lone wolf attack. adam housley is following all the breaking developments live from las vegas.

adam, what do you know? >> melissa, i will tell you what is happening now. we were talking a few minutes ago, six musicians came out carrying their bags and in instruments with tears in his eyes. a scene repeated throughout las vegas as people come to terms with what happened ten hours ago. the video that continues to come out with 22,000 people inside, many of them was cell phones at the end of the concert. it continues to show the utter chaos that ensued once those shots started raining down from the 32nd floor. and now talking to police officials from two separate holes blown through the windows by the shooter. we had a chance to talk to a lot of people when we came here, not long after the shooting. we were here meeting people that were heroes. some of them first responders by nature, some of them became first responders not by choice. one of them was a younger guy

who came over, i saw him walking out. he had blood all over his body. i asked him if he was okay. are you injured? and he said, it's not me, this is something else. take a listen. >> i was here enjoying the concert like every fellow american here. things happen, brother. no, what goes on here is not american. this is not what we are about. this is not okay. other people run, that's okay, that's on then. i am here for everybody else. >> how many people did you see down? >> how many did i see down? close to 20. >> in various conditions? >> look, man, i'm not wearing anybody close -- close up here. a part of my clothing is covering the body. everybody who i saw breathing i helped. >> may be a block away even though it is just across the parking lot, and we know that this area was overrun.

a fence knocked down. there is a blood on a shack that basically is outside of a fuel facility that came from a victim. there is a window busted that somebody tried to bus to the window to get inside, and blood all around it as well. everybody trying to flee the shooting. i can tell you from the angle where we are, the mandolin bay is right there, and you can see the curtains now flapping in the wind, the bulk of those windows from the angles that we have seen, which is the angles basically down towards where the concert is located, have completely on obstructed views, one, the furthest left is partly blocked out by the actual stage, but for the most part they can shoot down from both of those windows very clearly into what was once the crowd of 22,000 people as we come down, we can show you that stage where jason

aldean was performing the last concert of the three day series. you can see that there is just basically on top, you have the light features where they found on the side. it is just the cloth that would help in case and enclose the area in order to use the lighting for the actual people performing. that's all that was there. they ran out the back. another one of the tour buses continues to move and to leave. we have seen them leave all morning long as people are being let out. some of the cars, people are being allowed to get their cars and take them away. you see cars here that no one has come to claim. you hope that that is somebody who did not die or is not seriously injured in the hospital. there is a lot of recovery to go on here. still a lot of information that needs to take place, and right now we know that federal authority is our inside there as well as local police as well. you can see them going in and out. i've not seen the fbi forensic team yet.

i know that they are on their way, and they have the ability to do and help a lot with this ongoing investigation. because there is so much to learn and know. at the same time we know that the numbers are only going to continue to fluctuate. right now -- at least 50 dead. more than 400 injured. back to you in new york. >> melissa: so terrifying and tragic. adam, thank you for that. >> jon: we are getting worried now that the mandalay bay hotel has allowed guests to return. access to the hotel has been in lock down all night, obviously as a result of what transpired on the 32nd floor when the s.w.a.t. team burst in and used an explosion in the room of the gunman. he was already dead taking his own life. those horrific moments when the gunfire rang down on the crowd as a pack to las vegas concert took shortly after 10:00 p.m., recorded by witnesses and still pouring in on social media.

[screaming] >> we heard the shots, and i don't think anybody realized at first what was going on. until we heard the second set of shots. and everybody started running. [gunshots] >> our friend, the guy next to us got shot. >> jon: russell black was at the concert during the shooting, he joins us now on the phone. russell, it is so difficult to process this kind of evil. where were you? when did you first become aware that shots were ringing out? >> i was located in the vip

section right near the stage. it was the ten to that was closest towards wade where the shooter was spread and everything looked fine, even after two short 3-round burst. it was not like a gunshot close by, so nobody panicked at first. then all of a sudden it started picking up and gaining ground, it sounded like a helicopter, we are by the airport. a lot of people thought it was an helicopter taking off, and then you hear bullets ricocheting everywhere, people taking cover getting hit, and it was pure chaos and carnage. >> jon: so you became aware when he figured out it was not a helicopter that obviously you have a shooting going on, how did you react? where did you go? >> there is nowhere to go. you cannot tell where the shooter was, because it kept

echoing throughout the area. we thought that there were three shooters at first. the majority of people that were in there, and there is only one way in and out. that is towards where the shooter was firing from, where it bottlenecks. we somehow managed to escape and ran to the furthest side of the complex. but the scariest part, there are 10-foot wall surrounding everybody. nobody could get out. except for the one entrance towards the shooter. >> jon: they wanted to have a secure facility for those who bought the tickets, and it turned into a death trap for so many. >> exactly. >> jon: in terms of, we know that a couple of those who were killed were off duty police officers. i just wondered, did you get any sense that the shooter was targeting individuals? was this just widespread gunfir gunfire? >> it was widespread gunfire, you could tell that it was

automatic. i've never even heard a gun that can fire that fast on, it was just, he was spraying it. 300 yards away. we are talking about two full football fields. if you fire a round into the crowd, you are going to hit somebody. there was no escape, it was just like -- oh, my god, it was horrible. then you see these police officers, everybody is crosstow crosstown, and police officers running towards the danger, blocking people, protecting kids and families, and you always hear people talk about, oh, you know, it is a tragedy. and i remember watching these things, what would i do in that situation? and then once you are thrust into that, you see people in wheelchairs getting knocked over and nobody can help them -- because the gunfire was so relentless, you cannot stop. if you stopped coming you are hit. you had to wait about every ten

seconds, 7-10 seconds gap between him reloading. that's when we moved from cover to cover. thank goodness it was a country concert, so many ex-military that kind of jumped in. the veteran hats, and 60-year-old man just ducking down, stay low, stay low. coaching people on what to do in the situation. i saw people plugging bulletholes with fingers. >> jon: let's talk about their heroism and try to forget about the tragedy. let's talk about the heroes that you saw last night. >> in a world where everyone is kneeling, i saw hundreds of people standing up and running towards the danger. these first responders, the second that you heard -- i did not know what to do in this

scenario, and there were individuals who trained very well, running towards automatic gunfire with nothing but a pistol on their side arm. i mean like -- who does that? every fraction that those cops gave that guy, saved so many lives. every time he fired, multiple people were hit. >> jon: and you said that you saw people plugging bullet wounds with their fingers. i mean, the battle field medics. >> yes, people were using the barricades and structures, taking two or three bodies out over time to drag them and get people undercover. there were six people in a porta-potty at one time. they were all locked. we were like mice in a maze. you cannot get out. and you think that you are out to an exit, and then there is a 10-foot wall. so you have to double back and

try to get out. and my fiance's knee is torn up, she's finally able to sleep right now. not even a chance to sleep he had spread to the images in your head. you have to wake up from a nightmare and tell her that we are home, it's okay. it's over. the producers called us, i had to wake her up and apologize. it's going to stick with you forever. >> jon: we appreciate you sharing the story. i am at a loss for words trying to describe what has transpired they are in las vegas. but i think that it is interesting, when you talk about people running towards the gunfire, people who -- trained officers and others who have military backgrounds, i mean, americans really stepped up and tried to help their fellow american. >> they truly did. this is unlike anything i've

seen on television or heard about. even in a movie. it was just relentless gunfire. i heard it personally. >> jon: how long where the shots continuing? >> ten, 15 minutes but it felt like forever. realistically i know that it took about 10 minutes. i lost my fiance for five, and then i found my friend. we darted away. it took us another 12 minutes. that's a total of about 15 minutes but we still heard gunfire, hopped in my card two blocks away. it just did not stop. >> jon: did you think -- you must have thought about who would be doing this, what was going through your mind on that? >> i could not imagine -- i did not know where was coming from. it -- when you are crawling through the ground, you can feel

the stamp hitting your face of the ricochet, you can feel the stand kicked up at you. my first thought was, i need to get to my firearm which is two or three blocks away and my car. that would've done nothing. there's nothing you can do in the scenario. where he was position, there is nothing you can do. i cannot imagine that anybody could do something like this. this is so beyond horrible. there were kids there. i can't even imagine what those families are going through. >> jon: if you were close enough to some of the bullets to feel fan kicked up in your face from the impact, obviously you were lucky. >> no, we truly were. we finally made it to the bleachers, a couple of thousand of people underneath them. you could hear the clanks consistently off the bleachers. you can see the gunshots move

away a little bit. then he would come back. it looked like he was just spraying. we had a gap where he reloaded, it took them a lot longer the last time. we just did a full on sprint and did not stop until we reached two blocks away. >> jon: was there any indication? police with their side arms, even if they had known where he was firing from, it would have been all one in a million shot to be able to take him out. was there any indication that it was coming from the mandalay bay? did you see any flashes or things like that? >> no, it was that far away. now i'm looking at the video -- i guess they found him through the smoke detectors from when i am hearing. no. i knew that it was coming from that general direction, but to be honest with you i thought he was on the ground and slowly moving forward through the event space. we did not know he was across the street. it makes sense if he broke

another window, because the first angle was right towards the stage. that's where i was to the right. and then all of a sudden it stopped. i guess he went out of another hole, shooting towards the entrance, because i saw everybody just turn around and run back towards us. >> jon: russell bleck, working at the concert. you and your fiance survived, for that we are grateful. but so many others didn't. worth pointing out what you said about americans helping other people out. let's try to remember that. russell, thank you for speaking to us this morning. get some rest. speak to the department of homeland security says that there is no specific credible threat to other public venues after last nights massacre in las vegas prior to joining us now is michael balboni, he is former state security director. thank you for joining us.

let me point to one thing that stuck out with our man on the scene. he talked about trying to escape and feeling like a caged mouse or rat that they would run away and find that they had gone down a dead end and they could not get out. as we see this scene unfolding more frequently, unfortunately, how do you protect against things like this? can you? what do you do about escape routes? how do you deal with it if you are trying to have a public event? >> i've done a lot of interviews, i do not know who russell beck is, but what a sober, salient, conversation about what happened in chaos. i've heard lots of witnesses in these types of events, i've never heard anyone that profound in terms of his observations. that will be crucial to understand this event. because what he said was very important. first of all, the distance from

which this shooter was operating prevented any counter sniper by the police officers with their handguns. the only way that you could have stopped to this in the middle of the engagement was to have what they call and overwatch. someone with a sniper weapon that was -- secret service uses it to pinpoint what we nag where it is, and interdict. but what he pointed out in terms of what happens in the crowd. when you have the scenario where somebody is randomly spraying a crowd from that distance. he is right. you have no idea where it is coming from. it is dark. there is music, lights, you cannot identify the sounds. it is your panic, because it is so impossible to have real-time direction as to, go to this place. go to this exit. a lot of times the strategies that are used to protect venues is that they will use obfuscation. putting up cloth like fabrics to try to shield the crowd.

but nobody thinks about that at these public venues in public events which thousands of them have been across the country every summer. it's done throughout the year. so how do you now take almost a secret service protective 360-degree awareness and apply it to these types of events? it is nearly impossible. >> melissa: it sounds like you can't. so many americans as we travel around, at a concert, on a train. waiting at a bus stop. there are so many different places where you find yourself surrounded by a large crowd, which seems to be one of the things driving the attraction to create sadistic killers. there is no way to protect large crowds all over the place, is there? >> no. the question becomes is this threshold event the largest massacre in the united states?

as it relates to las vegas, but in almost any place in the country, is this the threshold event that says that we will change the way that we change our lives? we will change the way that we go to public events. we will do a hard check on everybody. we will do lines of site analysis as to who could fire into the crowd. these are the types of decisions that are made from the secret service protective standpoint. the fbi has tremendous capability to do this. do you do this with every possible public event? speak to you coming to, right? there is not enough manpower to do that? >> you are absolutely right, the resources we would have to apply, a part of the general thought process of our opponents, the guys who want to do damage to the united states command we do not know what this individual's motivations are, reports that isis is claiming responsibility. but we have no idea whether that is true, so whatever the motivation was, the question is,

is there a way to spot these individuals before hand, because it is about preventing, not responding, so much, and that is the challenge in any of these types of situations. >> melissa: when you talk about is this the threshold of end, i know that we have thought about this in the context of all the way back to the marathon boston marathon bombers, you say the largest event, the seeping up out of the pulse nightclub, and the aftermath, you hear people say, we are americans. we will not have a freedom taken away. we will continue to go places, but at some point as an american when so many have piled up, do you say, do we take a break from going to big crowds? what is the tipping point? >> the country was shocked way back when in 1966 when charles whitman climbed to the top of that tower building in the university of austin and child 15 and killed many others.

this is very similar, and that did not change our behavior. we have school shootings. that does not change that behavior. but what is the right response? how do we live in a free society and take the measures that we need to make ourselves safe and apply the resources, obviously 9/11 was the threshold event that changed the way that we thought about our safety from perspective. but this is now very much a domestic in your backyard type of scenario. and it raises all sorts of issues that obviously will be the subject of debate in congress whether it is mental health, gun control. >> melissa: let me ask you very quickly, you are the director of homeland security in new york, what do you tell your family right now? are you telling your family to stay out of public places? what would you tell people you care about? >> it is so random, what i tell people is you cannot live your life that way. then unfortunately, life is full

of risks. the only way that you can mitigate them is to be aware of where you are. oftentimes i've said this before, this is a society where we are always connected to that phone and the stream of information. a talking to friends. and that is wonderful, that's the way that we live our lives. but it always matters to know where you are and who you are talking to. what events are going on around you. but even in that situation without awareness, this type of situation, that would not have necessarily helped you. it is impossible to spot where the threat is coming. but overall, you cannot to live your life fearful. you must live your life aware of what is going around in your surroundings. >> melissa: it's like when you see a doctor and they give you though, could be this, could be that. and i always say, what would you do if it was your kid? you would not tell people to stay away from concerts? nothing like that? >> unless there is a threat

reported that says that this was an organized event. this is a part of the terror campaign, not a lone wolf, one off event. there is no indication to do that. >> melissa: those things are not mutually exclusive. we are not saying that that is what this was. i want to be very clear. we have no confirmation of anything like that. but it is a scenario that people think about. it is or could be inspired by something more organized. >> what will happen is that we need to take the venues who hold these events, they are going to have to take necessary steps. expend the resources to assure people. >> melissa: we have to go. michael balboni, thank you for your insight. we appreciate it on this sad day. >> jon: it is a terrible event that has touched the entire nation. the president ordered in that speech, you may be herded a short time ago, that all flags be flown at half-staff on

federal facilities and the white house is no exception. to the white house flag is already at half-staff within half an hour after the president made that announcement. there have been reports that isis is claiming responsibility for this attack. no confirmation of that that we are aware of. but catherine herridge has been checking her sources. might have a little bit more information about that. she joins us now. catherine. >> thank you, john, the fbi confirmed to fox news that they are bringing their full investigative and forensic resources on the las vegas shooting with the opening of the 1-800-fbi lines. and getting tapes that they can piece together from individuals leading up to the shooting. the fbi has the ability to process massive amounts of data and do so rapidly. much of the work is done at the fbi labs in quantico, virginia,

the rapid forensic processing helping them recreate the scene as well as the direction of fire by the suspect stephen paddock. the 1-800 line has been deployed it during the boston marathon bombing where the security footage helped in the manhunt. the fbi is asking for anyone with videos or photos, social media post, any digital evidence to call the 1-800-call fbi, 1-800-225-5324. the president describing the sheriff's office who has the lead in the case. >> 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 investigatio investigation. they will provide updates as to the investigation and how it develops. >> we are waiting for the updated news conference, but

earlier today when they spoke to reporters, they confirmed that they were executing two search warrants, one at the hotel and one at a residence in mesquite, nevada. they were moving very cautiously given the level, what seems to be the level of premeditation in the shooting. they are not ruling out whether there may have been traps at that home addressed. >> jon: i'm sure that all of washington is trying to get its arms around what happened here. what are you hearing about briefings of senior government officials? >> from very early this morning, i can tell you on conversations we have had a fox news, everybody at the senior levels of this administration has been engaged. the attorney general had an in person briefing from fbi director chris per ray, he crossed the street in washington and did everything at the justice department headquarters, or what is known in law enforcement circles as may justice. the active secretary of homeland security lane duke has had a briefing, and what they told

reporters in the statement is that they are not aware of any threats to other venues. but people can expect to see heightened security at multiple locations around the country. but those decisions will be made by state and local officials, not at the federal level, jon. >> jon: catherine herridge joining us from washington. thank you. >> you're welcome. >> melissa: a fox news alert in las vegas, leaving 50 people killed and more than 400 others injured. after a 64-year-old stephen paddock open fire on a crowded country music concert. investigators searching for the motive as they come through stephen paddock's hotel room and his house near las vegas. retired nypd joe cardinality joining us now. what jumps out at the fact that you have heard so far? >> the fact that he had this many weapons up there, how did he get them up there, that is

naturally the question. but i think that we have to sit back and let the law enforcement do their job right now. everybody wants a rhyme or reason, but the only that you have right now is that this individual who was hell bent on creating this much carnage and chaos, and in this amount of time. he had the advantage but he was high up, he knew what he was doing. he was sleeping as we hear in the audio, and you have all the witnesses that are saying that he went from one window to the other. there was no way of addressing this before hand. you cannot be proactive for something like this. you can only be reactive. like i said, committing this much carnage into the chaos, he knew exactly what he was doing. for people to start claiming, isis claiming it, let the law enforcement do their job. we will see how they got it there. >> melissa: we are steering clear from that for now. i do want to ask you, i know that you taught classes with the

nypd in terms of how to interview witnesses at scenes like this. and i would wonder, so with the gun men dead by his own hand, what is the significance of talking to the witnesses? why is that essential if you have the shooter? >> you know, it is so important to interview everybody that you can in an instance like this, because you do not know what led up up to it before that. you do not know if he is a lone wolf at this time. maybe he does have somebody helping him get into the hotel. you do not know, but the more people you interview, the more you can piece the puzzle together of what led up. not the aftermath, but what led up to it. looking for cars, looking for stuff on the computers. looking for how he got the weapons, looking for the automatic weapons that are illegal. they do not look at -- they look at all of these things. you may not get the rhyme or reason that you want, but you will get the answers that in the

future could help out in other instances. that is the sad part of this. we have to learn from prior experiences to go forward in these things. you spoke about the venues, the open venues. i am sure that the fire department down there dictates what the limit" exits, how many there have to be. but let's look at -- a man shooting thousands of rounds into a crowd. there is no protocol for that. there is nothing that you can do to get them back and forth in one area. the times square, for -- there were designated entrances. do you had all the designated areas, but do you think people are going to go to that one specific spot? not happening. >> melissa: the problem that you run into, trying to close in the event, not only because they do not want people to come and who did not pay, but say that you are trying to create a perimeter and have some kind of security. that limits a people are running

and getting out. you heard witnesses saying they were running and getting around, then they found that they were up against a wall that they could not scale. so if you keep people out, you keep people in. that is something without question to think about. you heard the witness earlier in the show say that with somebody up so high, there was really nothing that they could do to stop him. it seems like that's where we are at this point. >> exactly, he knew it. the shooter knew it. he knew that this was his last cowardly act on this earth. that's the way that he was going to go out. in a blaze of glory. he committed it on himself. but the point is that he had the advantage. he knew what was going on. he knew he would switch from one window to the other. what we see at the top of the building. he knew the vantage point that he had. he knew the time frame that he had to create the carnage. and you want to know something, you can second-guess anybody, you can be a monday morning quarterback, but it's i'm going

to do any good at this point other than moving forward and saying, what do we do in the future? it is a learning experience, a tough learning experience, but we piece all of these things together. intelligence agencies, nypd, they travel overseas and keep tabs on him as much as they can and use the information. this is one of those instances where they said, oh, we have been watching this guy, they do not know that he had. it might be a domestic -- something that he had. >> melissa: last we heard he had a violation of some sort. and ten guns into the room, did anybody notice going in? you know that people show up with huge suitcases, maybe he brought in many at different times. we have to go now. thank you for your insight. >> you're welcome. >> melissa: we appreciate it. >> can we get out of here? >> no, stay down. >> go, go, go.

>> like a horror scene in the side. i've seen many things with the fire department. it was hard to see. [gunshots] >> it sounded like machine guns, it did not stop. >> run. run. [screams] >> we all ran out to down the street here towards the mgm. >> jon: so much of the chaos, the pandemonium, the abject fear because on the cell phones of concertgoers last night, because in this day and age, we are all photojournalists. the chief correspondent jonathan hunt is in las vegas, joining us now live with more. >> jon, after all those sounds of terror, it is the sound of

silence that is most striking here in las vegas, which is under normal circumstances a party town 24/7. not so right now. the tourists who are here now are coming to this scene looking at it absolutely staggered at what transpired here. take a look up behind me here. that is the mandalay bay hotel that you are looking at. our cameraman rob zooming into the two windows on the 32nd floor from which stephen paddock open fire. you can see the vantage point that he had on the huge crowd immediately beneath him. a helpless crowd who simply had nowhere to go. it was obviously a scene of complete terror. in front of us, just obscured by the vehicles right now, there

are chairs and a wheelbarrow that were used to bring down from that seen some of those who were wounded just a short time ago. there was a body still here behind us, and it has now been moved. another body a couple of 100 yards to my right. now the focus, jon family answers that everybody wants, why did 64-year-old stephen paddock do this? he resided in mesquite, nevada, that is north from las vegas. i spoke to the police. they say that they have absolutely no record of him whatsoever. they have never had a call of service to his house. he has no citations there. just the one traffic citation here in las vegas, but up in -- they said, basically we did not know him. he was a mystery to us, we never had any cause to know him. obviously as he reported, this isis claim that he had converted to islam, no evidence whatsoever of that according to law enforcement so far.

>> jon: jonathan, let's interrupt. las vegas authorities are about to hold a news conference to get the latest information. we will listen now to the local sheriff. >> kevin, will you come up? well, good morning, everyone. for those of you who do not know. i am sheriff lombardo from clark county. i do do not have very much moro update you with from our previous briefings, one thing in particular that has changed in the negative is our body count. that's the wrong way to say it to pay to the number of people who have died associated with this event has increased. right now we are using the number of 58. i was informed that it may be 59 of an individual that may have expired at the hospital. i do not want to give you that information, please do not press me on the number until we get further into the investigation.

the number of injured, we are using the number of 515. and as you can towel as the hours go by, that number continues to increase. we have not received any additional intelligence associated with the suspect. we have completed the search warrant. i am not aware of any derogatory information that we can utilize at this point. but we have recovered items. and it will take a little while to evaluate that information. we have learned information of additional property in northern nevada, and the fbi has responded to the location. and will be serving a search warrant shortly. we have completed the investigation at the room. we have collected all the items associated with the suspect, and we are in the recovery phase of that. the mandalay bay itself has gone back to service at the 32nd

floor, they would like everybody advised that if they are separated from their hotel room, they have the ability to return to the hotel. the location in question, the concert hall, we will be in a long process of body recovery out there. and evidence recovery. and evidence documentation. so you are going to have to ask the public patients as we move forward to the long arduous process to reunite to the victims with their family members and advise them of the situation. we still have the families responded to the police headquarters in order to -- about the reunification of their family or friends. eventually in the next few hours, actually, i do not want to give you a skewed timeline,

but approximately at 1:00 p.m., we will request that family members respond to the convention area, convention center area to utilize a larger space. we can bring in victim advocates to assist with family members in the long term. right now it is just a temporary phase associated with the reunification. additionally, we are asking to solely utilize united blood service for blood donation and umc, as the only places to donate blood. we have some resource issues associated with the laborers medical clinic. i applaud their efforts to help us, but we have some resource issues associated with that. better utilize and ensure that you know where they'll united blood services are. so that we can get the immediate life-saving blood for the victims associated with this. at this point, as you can tell,

have several individuals to my rear that would like to make comments. referencing the isis statement, i want to bring that up now so that i get the opportunity to special agent to respond from the fbi. and he will explain what we know now, reference the isis claim in this individual. thank you. >> good morning. as this event unfolds, we have determined to this point no connection with the international terrorist group. as this investigation continues, we will continue to work with our partners to ensure that this is factually, thoroughly, and absolutely investigated to be able to bring comfort and peace back to the community. thank you. >> good morning, my name is ruben, i am the congressman for the fourth congressional district here in nevada.

i just want to say thank you to law enforcement and to all the first responders who are now fighting terrorists -- in ordee victims, the family members, but i saw a lot of nurses and doctors that were working tirelessly to save lives, and today it is a very sad day for them to a mag nevada, a very sad day for las vegas. but if anything good came out of this that i saw, humanity, i saw a community come together. i saw a saw strangers helping strangers and saving lives. i do want to say thank you to the sheriff and metropolitan police, to firefighters, doctors, nurses, and everybody who is working to save lives at this precise moment. i know that we will get through this, and our city will be stronger. thank you so much.

>> i'm clark county district attorney, and on behalf of the d.a.'s office, our thoughts and prayers go out to everybody associated with this event. a two of my prosecutors, two of my young female prosecutors who were actually at this concert close to the stage, and i have spoken to both of them this morning, they are pretty rattled and pretty shaken up. this was a horrific event to say the least. this is a classic wmd. this is a weapon in a man of mass destruction. what i am pleased so much about is how this does not involve politics in the sense republican or democrat, we are here, all of us are nevadans, and i am proud to be present with the other leaders here, because we are working together to get through this. i want to thank sheriff lombardo for your leadership and leading us through this terrible,

terrible day. thank you. >> thank you, sheriff. i want to begin by thanking the sheriff. i got down here eight or nine hours ago, not many of us were here, just a handful immediately after the incident. i can tell you that the first responders, both the men and women of the fire department and metro were on their way and when this all happen. we have first responders that are literally covered in blood. a lot of the victims have not been identified up to this point. but they have stepped up. it was a sole shooter, there is no further threat that we are aware of. no immediate threat. i want to assure everyone that hears our word that las vegas is safe. mandalay bay and gm resorts have been incredible in communicating and working with the sheriff's office. so that everyone can be taken care of and get back to the rooms. we all understand that we are safe and doing everything humanly possible to protect all

the tourists and the citizens of clark county. that being said, the sheriff and i have set up a gofundme account. we have been inundated with phone calls, emails, text messages, people asking what they can do. there will be a lot of family members that are going through a lot at this particular time. we have over 500 in the hospitals being treated. we need to provide them with some sort of support. we have done that. i cannot say enough about the fine men and women that are first responders here and clark county. and in all the cities and jurisdictions that pull together. i think them for that. we pledge the full resources to assist the sheriff and fbi. we ask for your prayers. god bless you. >> go ahead. >> i want to thank you all. and absolutely, mirror what commissioner had spoken to about

the great response, rapid, thorough of the first responders and law enforcement. i spent part of last night and late this morning with you all, because i was over at the umc and the trauma unit, and it has been a very difficult time for us. as we look forward to continuing what our great city does, we offer a safe place, this is a crazed lunatic full of hate. we do not know much about his background. but it certainly is not an extension of what we believe in. what everybody who lives here and works here and to those who visit here want to see. this is something that was simply outrageous, uncalled for, and so many innocent people, young people, children, parents who have lost loved ones and so many still suffering in the hospitals going through major surgery. we have some that were hit quite lightly with shrapnel as they

were near the exits. there has been a hugely traumatic time for all of us. for the visitors who love country music, many of whom have come from the northern parts of our states. and came here for a wonderful save time, we pride ourselves and our law enforcement, they are so rapid to respond. so thorough in what they do. and our first responders have been simply phenomenal. it is a city and a community that has pulled together everybody is working so hard to make sure that we are taking care of and to the needs of the families and those who have lost a loved ones. it has just been a very, very traumatic time for everybody. the president gave a beautiful message. he will be visiting us either sometime later today, tomorrow,

or wednesday. great concern. we just know that the entire community, i have so many mayors that have called, governors who have called me personally to express their support, help, and what we ask for is blood. that is the main thing right now is that if our people want to do something, and they are healthy, then please donate blood. we will have plenty of things available, please call the hospital if you are unsure where to go. thank you very much, and madame congresswoman, i'm sorry, i did not mean to step in front of yo you. >> thank you very much, i represent nevada's district, it includes the las vegas strip including the mandalay bay where this horrendous act took place. so many times i welcome people to las vegas, and all the excitement and entertainment and fun that it has to offer. never thought that i would be standing here trying to offer solace and my offices assistance

to victims of something like this that is happening. all through the night we were briefed by law enforcement. i think you, sheriff and your team for all that you did and the first responders, mainly we were trying to stay out of the way, because you do not want to turn a personal tragedy into a political event. today my office will be giving blood as the mayor said, they appreciate your thoughts and prayers, but what they need is blood, we will be open to do anything we can to assist. but i have been hearing all the stories of heroism that occurred in the midst of this tragedy. you had off-duty police officers who were there just for the concert for an evening of fun that were able to help people get shelter. and able to identify the shooter. and just random strangers and staff members who lived in the district and running being trampled, somebody opened the

van door and pulled them inside for shelter and safety. that is a kind of people that we have here in las vegas who are willing to reach out and help one another. so i think all of the law enforcement. i think the first responders. those in the hospitals where people are in the halls in the parking lot trying to take care of so many. please call the offices if there is any way we can be of assistance. >> i am the attorney general. i want to echo what a lot of people have said today. i've been here since about 2:00 in the morning, and a job that metro and to the law enforcement, the first responders have done, absolutely remarkable. we have never been hit with such a tough situation and to see the poise and the pressure that they are able to perform under was truly astounding. i believe that they are always going to be able to get us

out of these situations. our law enforcement will be able to step up to the plate when we need them most. and of course, the city and our state will bounce back. thank you very much. >> i just want to add one more thing before we ask the governor to come up. i have to ask you to do something else, when you see one of these men and women wearing a badge or members of the fire department, told him thank you. their selfless actions saved the lives of hundreds of people. not a dozen people, hundreds of people. this death count would have been many hundred more if not for the brave work of every single one of these men and women that you see wearing a badge. members of the fire department, first responders, police department. i encourage all you watching, say thank you. i appreciate that. >> good morning, ladies and gentlemen, i am governor brian

sandoval. i don't know if i have words to describe what we are going through and what these poor unfortunate victims are going through. we are angry, we are grieving. confused. people are hurting. i want to thank the sheriff and all the first responders, i just had an opportunity to visit some of the patients in the hospital. and it is unimaginable what people are going through right now. you have family members who are here and do not have anyone to reach out to. but the first responders and what they have done. it is their finest hour. their finest hour. and the way that the sheriff and the metropolitan police department have handled this event is unprecedented. period the paramedics that came

on the scene in what was basically a war zone and created -- created all those men, women, kids. the health care professionals at the hospitals, the doctors that came from all over the valley to do whatever they could, and now, you know, we do not understand what has happened, i am sure that we will find out a little bit more from when metro continues to do its investigation. i do know for everybody watching, and i want to thank the president of the united states, the governors that have reached out to me to offer their help and assistance. we need blood. so if anybody can contribute to blood, anybody in the las vegas area or locally who can do that. but as we move on, we will learn more. we are going to need this help. this is obviously an unprecedented event in our nations history. we are going to have to learn from this. we are going to have to fight through this. we have to stop and pray for the

families and for the victims. we have to rely on our faith in a time like this to get us through all of this. i could not be prouder of the way that nevadans have responded to this. doctors and nurses and everyone else has worked through the night to save lives. and they have told me that they saved lives if not for the organization and the professionalism, the training. so again, sheriff, thank you for the courage that you have shown. for the people that were at the concert, you see courage and compassion there. people helping total strangers. risking their own lives to help people. that really speaks highly to the character of america.

so again, there is a lot to learn from all of this. the cowardly, despicable act that i am very angry about. there is not much that we can do. but we can learn. so ladies and gentlemen, thank you for everybody's care and concern. i am really proud to be with everybody who is here. the mayor, the congressman, the attorney general, the sheriff. the law enforcement, this has been a family at its best. god bless all of you. god bless most importantly the families, the victims, the mothers, the fathers, the sons, the daughters, the aunts, the uncles, the nephews, the nieces, the friends, the neighbors. and for everybody who is watching, please stop for a moment and pause and say a prayer. thank you. >> hold on a second. i will take questions shortly.

as you can see, we had the opportunity to have some of nevada's delegation here today. some are missing. but i do not want them slighted, because they all reached out to me. senator heller, senator masco, and congresswoman. they all reached out to me throughout the tragedy and offered their assistance. i do not want them cited just because they are not standing behind me. additionally, i have the chief of police next to me. and that is chief troy manor. he has been instrumental to help us complete the investigation. i think it is appropriate that he gets recognized for the effort. and then great castle, he is just very humble. he is obviously the clark county fire chief. he likes to stand in the back. but where we are different in our jurisdiction for my troubles in comparison to other jurisdictions, we work very well

with the fire department. they did not hesitate to pair up with an officer and go into the fray. i want to thank you for that. thank you very much. i am happy to answer some questions. as you know, the investigation is continuing. so please do not get too detailed on your questions, because i probably will not be able to answer at this time. yes, sir. >> is there a way in the matter of information? they mentioned a second location in northern nevada? >> the second location is on the records of ownership. we discovered that he owned another piece of property in nevada. but as far as electronic evaluation, we have not had the opportunity to do that yet. the only thing we are immediately aware of is additional firearms and ammunition. >> people dealt with shrapnel at

the exit, will you follow up on that, and also how did he get these weapons into the hotel? >> like i said, we are doing the investigation. i don't want to give you any inaccurate information, we do know that he brought their weapons in on his own. in the original briefing, we believed that he was in partnership or companionship of a female, and we have determined that the female is out of the country. so he brought these weapons in on his own. as well as method, i do not have the ability to give you a accurate picture. >> was he known -- any prior charges or things like that? >> none at all. we have checked the federal databases, state databases, we have no knowledge of this individual. >> share of, we going to change the designation on the woman that was involved, a person of

interest as an accomplice or suspect? >> no, we still consider her a person of interest. we have been in contact with her, and we plan to engage her upon her return to the country. >> any idea on how to break through the windows? did he smash the windows? >> we believe that he had a device similar to a hammer to smash the windows. >> sheriff, so far i have heard a description -- an investigation looking into the potential ties, even loose ties it to extremist groups? >> obviously we will look into it. we will run it down till the very end. but right now at face value, we have not been able to identify that. >> sheriff checked in -- he checked in on the 28th, did he have tickets to the concert? >> i have no idea. >> do you know what he has done between checking in