Tulsans In Las Vegas 'Terrified And Nervous' During Mass Shooting

<p>The deadliest mass shooting in American history began when gunfire interrupted an outdoor concert in Las Vegas.&nbsp;We've heard stories from&nbsp;dozens of Oklahomans in Vegas this weekend.</p>

Monday, October 2nd 2017, 7:08 pm

By: News On 6


The deadliest mass shooting in American history began when gunfire interrupted an outdoor concert in Las Vegas. At least 59 are dead and more than 500 are injured.

Las Vegas Police said the gunman, 64-year-old Stephen Paddock, fired down on the crowd from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel.

They said Paddock killed himself right before a SWAT team broke into his room.

10/2/2017 Related Story: At Least 59 Dead, 500+ Injured In Mandalay Bay Shooting

Detectives said they found at least 10 rifles inside his hotel room.

Investigators are still searching for a motive.

We've heard about dozens of Oklahomans in Vegas this weekend, all with different stories to tell.

Tulsa realtor Adam Rippe and his girlfriend witnessed the shooting and said it was chaos as people ran through the streets screaming.

Rippe said he felt “terrified and nervous” being trapped on the Las Vegas strip during the largest mass shooting in American history.

"Every time you know everyone starts running, you have no idea where to go. People are screaming, running every which direction, and you just didn't know what to do," he said.

They were in a shop at the MGM Grand when they realized they were in danger.

"The next thing we knew, is people just running down the halls by the hundreds saying, ‘Active shooter, active shooter,’" Rippe said. "There was a handful of us that went through a restaurant and out the back through the kitchen and into an alleyway and there was four of us that grabbed a cab."

They finally ended up on lockdown in a parking garage where they sat for hours not knowing what was next.

"We really didn't know what was going on. I mean, there's sirens going off, ambulances driving by, cops everywhere. but no one really knew," Rippe said.

About half an hour before the chaos, Rippe took a picture from the rooftop bar of the Mandalay Bay Hotel before they decided to go to the strip instead of to the concert. The picture represents just how close the couple came to ending up in the line of fire.

They're spending their last day donating blood, hoping to help survivors before they head back to Oklahoma.

Tulsan Jason Devin and his family were also at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and heard the shots.

"Just outside our window, across the street, is a virtual cemetery of people. It’s pretty astounding," he said.

Devin and his family decided to extend their stay in Vegas over the weekend, moving to a room at Mandalay Bay before the shooting. They were inside their room when police began to sweep the hotel.

"The SWAT team burst in and I didn't recognize them as the SWAT team, I thought it was simply the man coming into the room to kill me," he said. “I stopped hearing automatic weapons for some time and then the SWAT team came in not too long afterwards and then Las Vegas strip turned completely silent."

Devin said it’s an eerie silence that continued Monday.

He said it wasn't until they turned on the news that they realized what they'd witnessed.

"I never imagined that it was going to be getting this big and that it would be that many fatal shots," he said.

Devin and his family were supposed to fly back early Monday morning but were on lockdown at the hotel and couldn't leave. They are working on making new travel arrangements.

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