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EARLY START

Officials Search for Motive Behind Las Vegas Massacre; Remembering the Victims of Las Vegas Shooting Tragedy; Witnesses Begin Telling Their Stories; Trump: Nation United In "Sadness, Shock and Grief."Aired 3-4a ET

Aired October 3, 2017 - 03:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[03:00:48] SHERIFF JOSEPH LOMBARDO, CLARK COUNTY SHERIFF: We are currently standing at 527 for individuals injured and individuals that have died or passed away, 59.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: The human toll is growing from the massacre in Las Vegas. Also new details emerging about the shooter, but they don't seem to answer the big, looming question. Why?

Good morning and welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans in New York.

DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Christine. I'm Dave Briggs. It's Tuesday, October 3rd, it is 3:00 a.m. in the East, just after midnight local time here in Las Vegas. We welcome all of our viewers in the U.S. and around the world.

Just over 24 hours now from the worst mass shooting in modern American history. The headline is not what we know, it's what we don't know at this point. The motive. Why 64-four-year-old Stephen Paddock opened fire from his 32nd floor window at the Mandalay Bay? He killed at least 59 people, injured more than 500, as 22,000 concertgoers ran for their lives.

Authorities have recovered an astonishing 23 guns from the shooter's hotel room, 19 more from his home in Mesquite, Nevada.

We'll have more on what we know about the gunman in just a moment.

Now investigators have started piecing together how the attack happened, how it was stopped. Officials say a team of six officers spoke with security at the Mandalay Bay and searched the hotel floor by floor until they found gunman's room. The shooter fired at the officers through the door, forcing the SWAT team to move in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Copy. All units on the 32nd floor, SWAT has explosive beach. Everyone in the hallways needs to move back. All units move back.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Breach, breach. Breach.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: SWAT officers did move in, finding the gunman had already killed himself.

The question haunting investigators and victims this morning is why. Why did the man described as a retired accountant with no known history of violence suddenly arm himself with an arsenal of largely military style weapons and open fire from a hotel room?

The answer is proving to be elusive at this hour. I'm joined by Jean Casarez with the latest on the shooter Stephen Paddock.

And it's just a baffling question right now, no digital footprints, no known affiliation with terror groups or hate groups.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At this point. And you know, I think that the day -- we'll see what the day has to come, but this is obviously imperative for law enforcement to find out the intent because they want to classify what's been done and they have not been able to do that.

But let's look at the facts here.

BRIGGS: Yes.

CASAREZ: Because there are facts that we have learned at this point. First of all that corner room. We see the two windows that were shot out. He used actually a device similar to a hammer to crack through those windows so he would be able to shoot.

He checked in on September 28th, which would have been last Thursday. So he had been in that room for a while. So look at the inordinate planning that was done ahead of time. I mean, there are shootings, mass shootings, and there's some level of sophistication in planning but this is in-depth planning.

In his room, 23 weapons, some with scopes and law enforcement has said that they believed that he used various weapons during the time that he was shooting. So he went from one to the other, I think you can just visualize that.

BRIGGS: Yes.

CASAREZ: Then at his home in Mesquite, 19 additional firearms, explosives, thousands of rounds of ammunition, and electrical devices some with immense sophistication. And they're still looking at those. In his car, ammonium nitrate and fertilizer. We also know he has properties in Reno, northern Nevada, which is about seven hours away from here. It's not close.

His brother describes him as a simple person, a quiet person, not really a team person. Didn't play sports because he doesn't like teams. An accountant by trade. Had his pilot's license at one point, got bored with that. Liked to gamble.

[03:05:04] He says no indication at all. But yet the fact is, there were people in his life, the girlfriend, who's now in Tokyo, authorities are saying. Will she even come back to this country? Law enforcement wants to talk with her. They want to know what she knows. She was probably the closest person to him.

BRIGGS: Any digital footprint at all? Social media?

CASAREZ: At this point, I don't think so. Not that we've heard. And you know they've been searching that. You know they have forensic teams that are looking at that aspect. But there has to be more. There has to be.

BRIGGS: Christine, the authorities and certainly the victims are asking that question, why. There has to be more. To Jean's point, there must be something in his background that suggested some type of motives, why did he arm himself with an arsenal of weapons? We don't yet know.

ROMANS: No, we don't. And it's just maddening. All right. Dave, thanks.

We're also hearing from the brother of the Las Vegas gunman. He says he is absolutely dumbfounded. Now listen to Eric Paddock, addressing reporters outside his Orlando area home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC PADDOCK, STEPHEN PADDOCK'S BROTHER: It's like an asteroid fell out of the sky. We have no -- he hasn't -- you know, now it's -- last time I talked to him he texted me to ask how my mom was after we didn't have power for five days in the neighborhood. You know? He talked to her on the phone a week or two ago and then sent her a Walker because she's having trouble walking.

He had no machine guns when I moved from Melbourne to mesquite. I mean, find out who gave -- you know, who he bought the machine guns from. And once again it's -- there's no -- it's just -- he bought the machine guns and he did this, I mean, it was him who did this. There's no doubt about it, because he was him --

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: It was completely out of character?

PADDOCK: He's never -- I mean, he's never even drawn his gun. It makes no sense.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: The gunman lived with his girlfriend, Marilou Danley. Police initially called Danley a person of interest but now say they no longer believe she was involved in the shootings. And as you heard Jean Casarez there, she is currently out of the country, law enforcement needed to talk to her. The victims come of last night's mass shooting come from all walks of

life. People like anyone of us. They're now gone leaving rich lives and grieving loved ones behind.

CNN's Scott McLean is at the University of Medical Center in Las Vegas. He joins us now live with more on the victims of this tragedy.

Scott, a cheerleader, a schoolteacher, parent, daughters, sons, it's just tragic.

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. You're absolutely right, Christine. There's really no other way to say it other than that. We've heard a lot of about the shooter in this case, the alleged shooter in this case, the suspect. But we haven't heard very much about the 59 victims, all of whom leave behind family and friends and loved ones. And I want to share some of those people with up.

Rachel Parker, she was 33 years old. She was an employee of the Manhattan Beach Police Department in California. She was shot at that concert. She died in hospital. Sandra Casey was 35-year-old teacher, she was a teacher in Manhattan Beach, California, a special education teacher at a middle school for the past nine years.

Rhonda LeRocque, 42 years old. She was a victim we know according to her sister's Facebook page where she posted about her. Her sister says that her heart is broken. She is numb. She's paralyzed -- she's feeling paralyzed. She said she is turning to God for comfort, something that Rhonda would have wanted her to do.

Bailey Schweitzer was just 20 years old from Bakersfield, California. According to our affiliate KBAK TV she was watching the concert with her mother when those fatal shots were fired. We also know she was a cheerleader and a volleyball player.

And Neysa Tonks, she was a resident of Las Vegas, a mother of three children, Cayden, Braxton and Grayson. Her employer confirmed her death.

Now, Christine, there's also an issue of missing. I spoke to one woman who is a family friend of a man named Derek Taylor and she was -- walked up to her car and said hey, can you help me get the word out about this guy? And so Derek Taylor is 56 years old. He's from Oxnard, California. He is a father, he is a grandfather. He was scheduled to head back to California, he missed his flight, he was staying at the Paris Hotel, he didn't check out of his hotel room. His family in California, they're obviously concerned.

Dave, I just got off the phone with his daughter-in-law. She says that they've spent the day calling hospitals, calling the hotline that officials have set up here for people who are trying to get reunited with loved ones. So far they have heard absolutely nothing. So they're trying to get in touch with Derek Taylor.

[03:10:05] And one other thing, Christine, I should point out that there are still a lot of people in hospital at this hour. There were 104 people brought to UMC the other night. The good news, 40 of them have been released. But there are still 12 people, just here, in critical condition.

BRIGGS: Yes. And kudos to the medical staff here throughout the Las Vegas area.

Scott, thanks. We'll check in with you in about half an hour.

Reality, though, just starting to set in for those who were at this concert forced to run amid the panic when the shots rang out. We will speak to one eyewitness next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRIGGS: Thousands of people survived the attack on the concert here in Las Vegas, huge throngs stampeded for the exits, dodging gunfire. But no two stories of survival are quite the same.

Joining us tonight, Shawn Rawl. He was an eyewitness to the terrifying ordeal.

Thanks for being here with us. Tell us where you were in relation to the stage and what this horrifying experience was like for you.

SHAWN RAWL, EYEWITNESS: You're welcome. I was right in front of the stage, to the left of the stage where the deejay booth was. I went there to see my good friend, Deejay Silver, who was Jason Aldean's deejay, and was the deejay for the whole festival. Probably four or five songs in after he announced Jason Aldean, we heard like -- it sounded like a fire cracker and we all looked and just thought it was fireworks or whatever.

BRIGGS: OK.

[03:15:08] RAWL: And then we heard like statics so we thought it was the speakers. And then I saw two Metro cops that were in front of the stage next to the barricade where I was directly in front of. And I saw their facial expressions of horror and they draw their guns and that at that time I knew there was a shooting. And at that time the machine gunfire rapidly were more and more.

So at that time I couldn't go anywhere because we're all squished and everyone was trying to push away on the ground and we realized we had to run at that time. So at that time I took the initiative, stood up and started putting people over the barricade where it was empty because that's where the performers come and it was empty. They kept that clear. So at that time I got people over the barricade and I ran to -- with the group and I remembered an exit because I'm friends with Florida Georgia Line band and they were nice enough to get me comp tickets and I came through that exit area in a limo. And it was a big area.

But I realized half way to that exit where everybody was flowing out, it would have been a perfect spot for an ambush if there was a secondary shooter. So I saw people dropping and I realized I needed to pull people away from that, and that's what I did. So at that time I pulled people to the back left hand corner of the stage where there was an eight-foot fence. And I was putting people over the fence. And at the time I was putting people I cut all my hands up because there was so many people who's trying to get to escape.

And then once we got over the fence, I directed the people into a commercial area where it was dark, where I thought there wouldn't be any shooting because you weren't a target in a mass group running. So at that time we went to that area and we encountered another fence. And in Vegas they have these fences with the spikes on top of them.

BRIGGS: Yes.

RAWL: People were jumping over the fences spiking themselves in their thighs. So --

BRIGGS: Anything to get away.

RAWL: Anything to get away because we thought there was a secondary shooter. We were hearing gunshots firing left and right and we're running for our lives. But I stayed calm and I told people follow me, I see an opening, where there was a small opening. It was like a stampede of cattle going through, trying to escape for our lives. At the same time people are falling to the ground. I was pulling people up.

And I knew I had to do something. So at that time I yelled, I said, please calm, please be calm, we'll all going to get through this together. The crowd realized that when I said that and then we all went through like in a slow fashion.

BRIGGS: It's extraordinary reaction you had to it. At what point did you actually realize what had taken place, where there was an elevated shooter, or was it not until it was all over?

RAWL: It was until it was all over. From there, we were running through an apartment complex. And we're all amassed. But we're still hearing machine guns and we're thinking there's a second shooter, a third shooter. So at that time we're running for our lives --

BRIGGS: So you had no idea which direction to run? Where you should go?

RAWL: No. It looked like we were getting flanked left and right. From multiple shooters. And everywhere we went, people were saying there's another shooter because they were hearing the gunfire and didn't realize where it was coming from. So at that time we headed through apartment complex and I went towards on the airport where there's a Motel 6 and we were running to Motel 6, I'm telling people, get into your hotels, there's a shooter, there's a shooter.

So we finally got onto Motel 6 which is on the corner of Koval and Tropicana and there's a private airport right there. And at that time I saw people on the ground being shot, EMS is taking care of them and all that. So I realize that we still have to get away. So we're heading down Tropicana, the opposite direction of the strip.

BRIGGS: Sure.

RAWL: And at that time people were -- like running across the road, loading up in pickup trucks just to get away from the shooter and people were almost getting hit by oncoming ambulance and police heading toward the scene. So at that time I ran across the street, and I hailed a cab, came the back way, heading towards Koval, and we were approached by a crowd of people.

And at that time I realized there was a lady limping and they were screaming for the cab. So I took them and said get my cab, you can have my cab. So they ended up taking off. But the answer to your question, when I knew there was a shooter in Mandalay Bay was when I got in the taxicab. The cab drivers all have dispatches and the cab told me at that time --

BRIGGS: What had happened.

RAWL: There was a shooter. At that time I was finally relieved that I was further enough away from Mandalay Bay, I wasn't getting shot at no more.

BRIGGS: Will you ever feel safe at a live entertainment venue here in your city again?

RAWL: Absolutely. You know, I'm in the business. I'm in the night life business and I would not have a problem going to the another event in this town. You know, when we give in to these people, these crazy people, they win, and we can't let them win. We have to live our lives. You know, there's too many people in this country that have died for the freedoms we can go out, and go to a festival, enjoy ourselves.

[03:20:07] They're not going to take that away from me, and I hope they're not going to take that away from any of my fellow Americans as well.

BRIGGS: That's some great perspective, Shawn Rawl. We appreciate you joining us.

RAWL: You're welcome.

BRIGGS: We're glad to hear your story of survival.

Christine, just one of thousands and thousands of stories we'll hear in the days ahead. If you can only imagine what that initial moment of panic must have been like for people like Shawn.

ROMANS: You know, Dave, an emergency room doctors yesterday were telling us that frankly some of the injuries walking in the front door of the hospitals were injuries like you're hearing him describe, people with cuts and bruises, people who had been hit by cars actually, running out of the venue. You just think of the thousands of people each with their own escape story.

Dave, thank you so much. And Sean, thank you for your perspective.

President Trump forced to fill a role no president wants but every president must.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: To the families of the victims, we are praying for you and we are here for you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: The president will head to Las Vegas tomorrow. More of his response next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[03:25:04] TRUMP: Unity cannot be shattered by evil. 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 always will forever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: President Trump playing the role of comforter-in-chief there before flying to Las Vegas tomorrow to directly address the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. He read a subdued statement saying the nation is united in sadness, shock and grief. And spokeswoman Sarah Sanders became emotional describing the heroism we witnessed as the attack unfolded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY: What these people did more for each other says far more about what who we are as Americans than the cowardly acts of a killer ever could. The Gospel of John reminds us that there's no greater love than to lay down one's life for a friend. The memory of those who displayed the ultimate expression of love in the midst of unimaginable act of hate will never fade.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: The concert massacre reigniting the gun control debate in this country. And it happened immediately. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut releasing a statement saying it's time for Congress to, quote, "get off its ass and do something."

Gabby Giffords who survived an assassination attempt in 2011, the congresswoman says she's praying for the victims and for her congressional colleagues to find the courage to act on gun violence.

Republicans also responding to the shooting but largely avoiding this gun control issue. House majority whip Steve Scalise wounded just months ago in that soft ball shooting, saying, "I encourage people across America to stand together in solidarity and to support the Las Vegas community and all of those affected. In the face of unspeakable evil our whole nation must respond with countless acts of kindness, warmth and generosity." One person who changed his mind quickly on gun control is Caleb

Keeter. Now he's the guitarist for the Josh Abbott Band and he was on stage in Las Vegas just before the attack. Keeter is a self-described proponent of the Second Amendment. But he now says in a tweet, quote, "I cannot express how wrong I was. We actually have members of our crews with licenses and legal firearms on the bus. They were useless. Enough is enough. We need gun control right now."

Christine, Lady Gaga was also another celebrity very vocal, calling for gun control in the immediate hours after the shooting.

ROMANS: You know, Dave, I got to say I've been in this seat half a dozen, a dozen times for horrific shootings immediately someone says, why does it happen? Why was it so easy to get so many guns? And immediately someone else says, don't politicize the grief of these people. It's too soon to talk about politics, the politics of gun control. But we know it's, you know, lather, rinse, repeat on this debate. This country goes through this periodically again and again and every time it is just as painful.

BRIGGS: And if I could, Christine, you know, whether you're in favor or against, this is the only time to have this discussion because in a few days people will have moved on to the next thing. And this probably is the only time to have an honest conversation.

I should point out these are some of the most lax gun laws in the country. You do not need a permit to own a gun, to even display a gun. You can buy a machine gun, you can buy a silencer here in the state of Nevada provided it is properly registered.

ROMANS: It is -- it is true. The news cycle with change but for hundreds of families where you are right now in a few days they will have not moved on. They have got months and years of work ahead. Thanks, Dave.

Before the president heads to Las Vegas he's set to fly to Puerto Rico today to survey the damage from Hurricane Maria. President Trump and the first lady are expected to arrive in San Juan around noon Eastern Standard Time. They'll receive a briefing on relief efforts and meet with individuals hit hard by the storm.

The pair will also meet with the governors of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The visit comes as the administration tries to show progress in recent days. One FEMA director tells CNN he saw water trucks and fuel trucks making deliveries. He also says he spotted more open highway, improved cell service, and more relief in the really remote areas.

Still, the Army Corps of Engineers says it'll be up to 10 months before power is restored to some parts of that island.

A struggle for authorities this morning to figure out why, why a man with really no history of trouble, 64-year-old retired accountant, why he carried out the worst shooting in American history? More on the gunman, the reaction and we're going to remember some of the many, many victims next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[03:32:07] JOSEPH LOMBARDO, CLARK COUNTY SHERIFF: We are currently standing at 527 for individuals injured and individuals that have died or passed away, 59.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: An almost unimaginable death toll in the worst shooting in modern American history. New details emerging about the Las Vegas shooter. Those are some of the pictures of the people we are learning perished in this horrific event. And a big question remains why. Welcome back to EARLY START I'm Christine Romans in New York.

BRIGGS: Good morning Christine, I'm Dave Briggs live in Las Vegas, 32 minutes past the hour, just over 24 hours since the worst mass shooting in modern American history. The headline is not what we know at this hour, it's what we don't, the motive. Why did 64-year-old Stephen Paddock open fire from his 32nd floor window at the Mandalay Bay behind me? He killed at least 59 people, injured more than 500 as 22,000 concert goers ran for their lives. Authorities have recovered an astonishing 23 guns from the shooter's hotel room, 19 more from his home in Mesquite, Nevada. We'll have more on that in a moment.

Now, Investigators have started piecing together how the attack happened, how it was stopped. Officials say a team of six officers spoke with security at the Mandalay Bay and searched the hotel floor by floor until they found the gunman's room. The shooter fired at the officers through the door forcing the swat team to move in.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Copy. All units on the 32nd floor, SWAT has explosive breach. Everyone in the hallway needs to move back. All units move back.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Breach. Breach. Breach.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

BRIGGS: SWAT officers did move in, find the gunman had already killed himself. The question haunting investigators and victims this morning is why. Why did a man, described as a retired accountant with no known history of violence or connections to terror groups or hate groups suddenly armed himself with an arsenal of largely military style weapons and opened fire from a hotel window? The answer is certainly proving elusive at this hour.

Jean Casarez joins us now, Jean, thanks for being here. What are you hearing? You don't hear a lot of friends of the shooter, what about family members?

CASAREZ: You know, it's very interesting to look at what people are saying about him. And you're right. He does appear to be a loner. His brother Eric is shocked, says that his personality type is not like this. Cannot believe he would do something like that. He said he was a loner, he wasn't a team player, meaning he didn't play a lot of sports but he calls him rich. He calls him quiet.

Not too much contact with his family, though, which is interesting. Now, there are some neighbors in his past because he's lived in Florida, lived in Texas and now Nevada. Neighbors said very simplistic, gentle giant.

[03:35:06] He appeared today me to be someone who wouldn't even know what a gun was, all right. And these are people that don't know him but would interact with him. However, a neighbor who had spoken with his mother, his mother is alive, she is 90 years old. And the neighbor said this, that the mother said about her son Stephen Paddock, my son was "doing the wrong things".

And remember, this is before the fact, this is before all of these happened, all right? My son would do the wrong things. He was the bad one. That is completely different from what the brother is saying about him. So you have two completely different thoughts about Stephen Paddock.

BRIGGS: Perhaps his mom was referring --

CASAREZ: There's more to the story.

BRIGGS: -- to the poker, being a professional gambler of sorts. We do know that he played these high stakes video poker. Do we know anything else about his background, what he's done with his life?

CASAREZ: Accountant. We know he loved flying and was a pilot for a while. We know that he's bought real estate. He's got property in Reno, Northern Nevada. Seven hours from here that we still don't know exactly what they found in those properties, but purchased property in Florida. So, you know, his brother calls him rich. We don't know at this point how rich. But as far as weapons he had a lot of them, we know that, right? And he bought them in different places.

Now, there's a Northern Nevada, Northern Las Vegas gun shop who said that in spring of 2017, so that's quite a few months ago he bought a rifle and handgun. And he says from what he heard that that gun had to be disassembled and changed. There was no way what he bought from him could sound like what he heard. Now, of course, there were so many other weapons, maybe that's not what he used.

But, another thing too that's important is that, when law enforcement finally got to the 23rd floor, and it's very interesting because originally officers outside of the concert looked up and started counting and got the proximity of what floor they believed he was at. Then inside they start going up, they get to the 23rd floor and he was alive. And he shot through the door of his room. Shot a security guard in an extremity, not life threatening. But that's when they decided to go into the room and they went in and he apparently had just killed himself.

BRIGGS: Jean thanks. Some questions about how long it did take to find him and penetrate that door, we'll get into that later on. There was a text message that was once between him and his brother that he boasted of winning $250,000 in a video poker tournament. But Christine, the big mystery here is almost nothing in terms of a digital footprint, no social media connections, no affiliations with these hate groups or terror groups that one would expect after such a horrific act of terror.

ROMANS: Yes, no manifesto, no reason why yet other than these clues of this cowardly behavior, you know, shooting a people from behind, you know, the reflective windows of the hotel room. Just remarkable. Dave, you know, we're also hearing from the brother of the Las Vegas gunman. He says he is absolutely dumbfounded. Listen to Eric Paddock addressing reporters outside his Orlando area home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC PADDOCK, BROTHER OF STEPHEN PADDOCK: He bought the machine guns and he did this. I mean, it was him who did this, there's no doubt about it because it was him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Completely out of character?

E. PADDOCK: He's never -- I mean he's never even drawn his gun. I mean, it makes no sense. He's never hit anybody. He's never --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gun enthusiast or just a few --

E. PADDOCK: He had a couple of handguns, I think. He had a safe with a couple of handguns. He might have had one long rifle but he didn't have any -- I mean he had no automatic weapons when -- that I knew of at any time. There's no -- it just -- just makes no sense.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How is everyone in the family, I mean other than the obvious?

E. PADDOCK: We're (explicit) up. I got a 90-year-old mother whose son just killed 50 plus people and now he's dead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: The gunman lived with his girlfriend, Marilou Danley, police initially called Danley a person of interest but now say they no longer believe she was involved in the shootings. We are told she is out of the country at the moment.

A special ed teacher, kindergarten teacher, a new husband, a Las Vegas mother of three, local residents and visitors from near and far. The victims of last night's mass shooting came from all walks of life.

[03:40:05] There are so many names, so many grieving families here. CNN's Scott McLean is at University Medical Center in Las Vegas, he joins us now with more on the victims of this tragedy. And so much is always made of the shooter because of just the shock and trying to understand the motive. But let's understand and talk for a moment about the victims of the shooting, Scott. MCLEAN: Yes, you're absolutely right, Christine. We have heard a lot

about the shooter, but there are 59 victims here and what they all have in common is they all left people behind, friends and family who loved them. And we want to share a little bit about some of the names that we are learning who were the victims of this shooting.

Jennifer Irvine from San Diego, she was a lawyer, she was also a black belt in Taekwondo. She practice hot yoga, she was an avid snowboarder. She was one of those 59 people who was killed in this shooting.

Sonny Melton, 29 years old, was a registered nurse from Tennessee. His wife was one of the survivors of the shooting. Jenny parks was 35 a kindergarten teacher from California. Her husband was also wounded, and the school district that she worked for said "She was truly one of the most loving people you would ever hope to meet."

Susan Smith is another one of the victims. 53 years old. She was a mother and an office manager from California, married with two adult children. And Angela Gomez, she went by Angie Gomez. Just 20 years old from Riverside, California. She was one of the victims according to the Riverside Unified School District where she worked. They said she was fun loving, had a great sense of humor and always had a smile on her face.

We also should not loose sight of the fact that there are people in the area hospitals, including here at UMC that are fighting for their live or fighting to recover. This hospital took in 104 people. There are still 12 people in critical condition. The good news is that 40 people have been released. But there are still a lot of people that will have long recoveries to go. One girl whose family I've been speaking to, she got shot in the arm, she's going to require two or three more surgeries to repair some of the nerve damage that's been done.

One more thing, they city, they put out a call to people in Las Vegas and in this area to go and donate blood. And the response was absolutely overwhelming. There are a couple of places where people could go, we had one of those locations, at one point the line was some 200 people deep. Here at this blood donation clinic they actually had to turn people away just because they couldn't accommodate the number of people who wanted to donate. And so, the response had been overwhelming they are still asking people to donate though over the next couple of days and weeks if you are healthy enough to do it. Dave.

BRIGGS: Yes, you know, the shooting happened at 10:00, they were lined up by 2:00 in the morning to donate blood when you couldn't do it until 7:00. So an outpouring there. Great to see you Scott, thank you. When you fly into Vegas airport the first thing you see here is a giant billboard encouraging people to donate blood.

Reality just starting to set in for people who were at the concert, forced to run in all directions when shots rang out. We'll speak with an eyewitness who was at the concert next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:47:22] BRIGGS: We're back now in Las Vegas, 12:47 local time. The stories told by witnesses to the attack here in Vegas are harrowing. The accounts vary with only two things in common, the screams of people around them and the seemingly endless sound of gun fire raining from above.

Seth Bayles witnessed the shooting. He joins us now via Skype from Los Angeles. Seth, thanks for being with us. Tell us, where you were in relation to the stage, what you saw and what you heard?

SETH BAYLES, MANDALAY BAY SHOOTING EYEWITNESS: No problem. I was about 50 to 75 feet stage left. So if you're looking out from where Jason Aldean was performing, I was to his left, about 50 to 75 feet. And, you know, we first heard about three to four kind of series of popping sounds that sounded like bottle rockets or, you know, fire crackers for some kind of like, you know, kind of cheap pyrotechnic or something.

People started ducking but, you know, we didn't see anybody get hit where we were initially. And then, you know, somebody about six feet away from us actually did get hit. And I was, you know, standing there like an idiot because I didn't think anything was going on. Then we saw one person go down and we knew it was time to fight or flight and really get out of there. People started screaming in all directions.

After my group kind of went towards the stage, trying to take cover there, the rest of us kind of took off to the east, which is away from Mandalay Bay. We obviously didn't know the shots were coming from an elevated position yet. We didn't know, we couldn't see the muzzle flashes or anything. But a friend did see the broken window and kind of put two and two together and we kind of realize it was some kind of sniper-based attack, so we all kind of took off to the east, which is towards kind of towards the main exits.

And, you know, as we were running, you know, people, you know, everybody just kind of running in all different directions and people were just dropping. It was, you know, you used the word harrowing and I think that's absolutely applicable, it was harrowing, it was tragic, it was scary. You know, it was -- you really didn't take time to truly appreciate what was going on and people were already kind of laying on the ground and we're running over them.

I saw -- there was a woman who kind of -- I don't know, six to eight feet to my right, was running in the same direction that I was. When we were all running she just got hit and just went down. And it was just, you know, it was no reason for her to get hit and for me not to get hit or any of my friends not to get hit. It was just completely random. There was no purpose. It was a complete sense of madness and, you know, it was as all the other guests have said, it's just, you know, harrowing and tragic and, you know, horrific.

[03:50:10] BRIGGS: There are reports initially on social media that there was a shooting at the Tropicana at the New York, at what point did you realize what had happened? BAYLES: I have heard the same thing, I heard text from friends that

there was a live shooter at the Tropicana and they start telling a couple others but it ended up, you know, from what I understand that's where the victims were taken. You know, there was, you know, we took cover in an apartment, some random people who were good samaritans let us hang out in their apartment for an hour until after the shooter was killed.

Then we, you know, after watching the news coverage for a little bit we went back out and, you know, we found some police who were, as everybody has said, were incredible in every conceivable way. The first responders made this, you know, it was a horrible situation that could have been a lot worse. We were running out and they were running in. It's cliche but it's absolutely applicable. So, you know, we were -- we kind of followed the police. They kind of said come with us, we went over to the Tropicana, there was no shooting there period but there was, you know, security everywhere.

So they ushered us in downstairs to the ballroom and they patted everybody down, they did a check on everyone, everything you could possibly -- they're asked you questions. It was a complete security lock down, which absolutely it should have been. And we were there for a couple hours. I don't know exactly -- definitely a couple of hours until we got the all clear. But I mean, I don't think anybody really knew how many shooters there were kind of originally. But, you know, after they said they got the shooter and you can see where the shooter is coming from, you know, it was pretty clear that this was not a multiple shooter incident, it was one shooter from an elevated position. And that was it.

BRIGGS: Seth, to your point, you can't give enough credit to the first responders that did such a terrific job, the initial aftermath. You're a great example though of the concerts, people think that concerts are just a local group of people. This was people from all over the United States. People from Canada flew in for this event. If you can describe the community, of the fans that were there and the community that the artists represent as well.

BAYLES: I mean that's absolutely true. I mean I was in this concert last year, it was an absolute -- absolutely a blast. You know, people were from all over. The people with us were -- there's a lot of people from Nevada, there's a lot of people from California, Florida, people from Texas came in. There's people from everywhere. We saw all walks of life. It's country music, it's fun. It's not a political statement.

There's this really, you know, this is pure, pure fun. There's families there, there were kids there. I mean, there was kind of -- it was like an amusement park in the back of it. This was -- this was for fun. This was nothing -- not even overtly political, not implicitly political. It was for fun. You know, I try to go to this every year, I always have a great time. The artists this year were amazing.

I mean, if somebody wants to hurt somebody, they'll find a way. And this one is, you know, the most tragic in U.S. history and it's just -- I mean there is no real way to put it into words how terrible it was, how awful it was. You know, I've never seen dead bodies like that before. I had never seen anybody shot like that right in front of me before. I had friends that were more up close. I had a friend standing kind of in the VIP boxes in the balcony or, you know, right below it and somebody was shot a foot in front of her, shot in the person's neck. You hear stories like that all over the place. And I mean, there's -- obviously zero excuse, zero justification. The word tragedy doesn't even do it justice. And, you know --

BRIGGS: And Seth, just a yes or no question. Seth, would you come back to this festival?

BAYLES: I mean, absolutely. I mean, like you can't let these type of people control your lives. You can't let them influence your lives. Security there was very tight. I mean there was police everywhere, there was security everywhere, there was metal detectors when you walked in. I mean, if there's -- there's always a way to hurt somebody. I mean after 9/11 you can't stop flying, you know, after, you know, whatever, Sandy Hook, you can't stop sending your kids to school, you can't stop, you know, sending your kids to church or synagogue or anything else after that shooting.

I mean, you can't let them ruin your life. It's your life, you have to live it. And, you know, just good will outweigh evil in the end. It always does.

[03:55:06] BRIGGS: All right, Seth Bayles live for us from Skype from the Los Angeles area. Thanks for sharing your story with us.

Christina, being a country music fan myself I can tell you this is basically one big reunion family reunion, one big love fest, people from all walks of life, all corners on this country, and as I mentioned Canada as well, Alaska, Tennessee, California, Florida you name it.

ROMANS: Just a tragedy Dave, thanks. You know, President Trump forced to fill a role no president wants to but every president must.

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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: To the families of the victims, we are praying for you and we are here for you.

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ROMANS: The President heads to Vegas tomorrow. More of his response next.

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TRUMP: Our unity cannot be shattered by evil. Our 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 always will forever. (END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: President Trump heading to Las Vegas tomorrow to directly address the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. He read a subdued statement saying the nation is united in sadness shock and grief. And his Spokeswoman Sarah Sanders, she became emotional describing the heroism witnessed as the attack unfolded.

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SARAH SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: What these people did for each other says far more about who we are as Americans than the cowardly acts of a killer ever could. The gospel of John reminds that there is no greater love than to lay down one live for a friend. The memory of those who displayed the ultimate expression of love in events of unimaginable acts of hate will never fade.

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ROMANS: The concert massacre is reigniting the gun control debate. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut releasing a statement saying it is time for Congress to "get off its ass and do something." Gabby Giffords who survived an assassination attempt in 2011, said she is praying for the victims and for her former Congressional colleagues to find the courage to act on gun violence. Republicans also responding to the shooting but largely avoiding the gun control issue.