By SANCHESKA DORSETT

Tribune Staff Reporter

Sdorsett@tribunemedia.net

WHEN Hilton Bowleg arrived at the Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas at 9pm on Sunday he had no idea that about one hour later he would be running for his life in the hotel casino as bullets rained down on concert-goers blocks away on the Vegas Strip.

Luckily, Mr Bowleg who is in Las Vegas for a conference with several other Bahamians were unharmed as they were not in the direct vicinity of the shooting. However, in an interview with The Tribune, he said he “cannot recall a time he was so afraid” and the horror of what he experienced that night will forever remain with him.

On Sunday at about 10.08pm, the Route 91 Harvest Festival, an outdoor country music concert, was interrupted by the sound of gunfire. According to CNN, a gunman fired on the crowd of about 22,000 people from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino for about 11 minutes, several hundred feet southwest of the concert grounds.

The massacre left 59 people dead and more than 500 people with gunshot wounds or stampede injuries.

Two days after the massacre, Mr Bowleg, who is the vice-chairman at the Bahamas Island Cooperative Credit Union, said Las Vegas is slowly returning to normal despite the presence of heavily armed police officers at every turn.

“The night, me and my colleagues were walking in the casino talking and laughing and five seconds later the front door of the casino flew open and people just started running in and screaming that there was an ‘active shooter.’ Next thing I know people were running and screaming and crying, it was a mess, pure chaos. The security then started telling everyone to leave the casino, they were trying to clear the floor but people just kept running in and screaming. I was so terrified, so scared. I never felt fear like that before,” he said.

“At one point my colleague was on the side of me and the next thing I know, he disappeared. I started running because everyone was running and your instinct to survive kicks in. I ran to the elevator and people were there frightened and crying. I made it up to my room and the phone rings and it was my colleague. He called to check on me, I breathed a sigh of relief. I looked out of the window, the Mandalay Bay hotel is literally right there from us and I could see police checking everyone and people running and you could hear the screams. I did not sleep a wink, I was up all night watching the news. That’s how I found out what was going on. Since then, police have been everywhere, posted through the casino, outside on the streets, I mean armed officers are everywhere. Everyone is being watched, tensions are still high but everyone is trying to go about their business.”

Chilling

Katie Longley, director of public relations at the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island, who is also in Las Vegas, said it was a bit “unsettling” to be so close to the shooting, but “thankfully far enough.”

“What a welcome to Las Vegas, it’s my first time to the city,” she said. “The incident happened within hours of our arrival. We had checked in about an hour and a half (earlier) and were actually settling in when I heard lots of sirens, looked out the window and saw police and emergency vehicles traversing the streets.

“About 15 minutes later a message blasted from the hotel requesting all guests to stay in their rooms and everyone in the casino to evacuate. I thought something had happened downstairs in the resort’s casino where I’m staying, only to find out what truly transpired. It’s a bit unsettling and chilling to be so close, but thankfully far enough. The strip has returned to a level of normalcy in terms of persons roaming the streets. While I’m extremely vigilant and observant, I feel somewhat safe due to the heavy police presence. Seems like the entire police force is working the strip. There are three patrol cars continuously parked in front of the hotel and along the entire strip. As you know we can’t continuously live our life in fear so I still plan to carry on with my plans to visit the various shows and attractions. The situation is unfortunate and my heart goes out to the victims’ families,” Ms Longley said.

Authorities in the US have identified the shooter as 64-year-old Stephen Paddock of Mesquite, Nevada, a retired and twice-divorced accountant with no known children.

Paddock was alive when officers first made contact with him outside his suite. Officers “breached the hotel room” where Paddock was and found him dead, police said. Authorities believe he killed himself. Police said they believe Paddock acted alone.

According to CNN, police say they have not determined Paddock’s motives. As such, they are not calling the shooting terrorism.

The girlfriend of the Las Vegas gunman arrived in the US yesterday, where she is due to be questioned by police, according to BBC.

Marilou Danley was met by federal agents as she landed in Los Angeles from the Philippines. Paddock reportedly wired $100,000 to her in the Philippines before the rampage.

Police officials quoted by the Reuters news agency said they hoped Ms Danley – an Australian citizen who moved to the US 20 years ago – would consent to be interviewed voluntarily.

US authorities previously named Ms Danley as a  “person of interest” in their investigation and said they made contact with her shortly after the shooting.

Although the authorities are still unable to explain why a 64-year-old gambler would carry out a mass shooting by hauling such a vast arsenal of weapons to the hotel, they do know there was a high degree of planning.