Jason Aldean was in the middle of his performance when a gunman — now known to be Stephen Paddock of Mesquite, Nevada — opened fire on a huge outdoor concert in Las Vegas, Nevada Sunday night outside the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. The attack made thousands of people flee the scene. At least 50 victims are dead following the shooting, and hundreds more are wounded, according to officials. That makes last night one of the most deadly mass shootings in the history of the United States, reports The New York Times.
Sheriff Joseph Lombardo of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said that they “believe the individual killed himself” when he talked with CNN.
Jason Aldean was just one of the performers booked for the three-day country music event called the Route 91 Harvest Festival. It is reported that his performance was interrupted by the sound of automatic gunfire that sent the crowd running for cover. Concert goers reportedly heard others shout “Get down” and “Stay down” during the chaos following the gunshots.
In the video below, sent to CNN, you can see Jason Aldean run from the stage as rapid-fire gunshots erupt in the background:
Who is Jason Aldean?
Jason Aldean, the artist who was performing at the concert that was attack Sunday evening, is a country singer from Macon, Georgia. He’s known for many of his songs, 19 of which have reached number one on the Hot Country Songs or Country Airplay charts. Eight more of his songs have ranked among the top ten.
Aldean has released seven albums, of which “My Kind of Party” won multiple best album of the year awards. A single off that same album, a soulful duet with Kelly Clarkson called “Don’t You Wanna Stay” also swept the award shows in 2011 including taking home both Vocal Event of the Year and Single Record of the Year at the ACM Awards.
Shaken, but safe, Aldean took to Instagram to share reflections on the shooting, writing afterwards that “tonight has been beyond horrific.” He went on in the caption to assure fans of his safety and express concern for everyone involved. “I still dont know what to say but wanted to let everyone know that Me and my Crew are safe. My Thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved tonight. It hurts my heart that this would happen to anyone who was just coming out to enjoy what should have been a fun night. #heartbroken #stopthehate.”
