A shooting at the Excalibur hotel-casino in Las Vegas has resulted in two deaths. A man shot and killed a woman and then killed himself, while visitors were left terrified.
According to The Las Vegas Sun, at around 8:30 p.m., a man opened fire on a woman who worked as a vendor at Excalibur's concierge desk. He fatally wounded the woman and then turned the gun on himself.The woman later died at a hospital. The man and woman have not been identified and it is not clear how they are connected.
The shooting occured during a busy time for the hotel-casino as it was a Friday night and the National Finals Rodeo and other events were in town. As visitors heard gun shots, they scattered in terror. The poker tables cleared out as people ran for the exit doors.
The shooting occurred on the same day that 27 people were killed in Newtown, Connecticut during a mass murder at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
Trisha Banks, 14, and sister Danielle, 17, were some of the visitors at the Excalibur during the shooting as they were there with 80 cheerleaders for a holiday party. They heard gunshots and hit under tables until the scene was clear.
"It's scary after what happened this morning (in Newtown, Conn.) and then this," Trisha Banks told the Las Vegas Sun. "How can people do this?"
The woman who died in the shooting worked as a vendor for travel site Vegas.com. They are mourning the loss of their employee.
"We were saddened to learn that a member of the VEGAS.com family was the victim of tonight's tragic and senseless killing at the Excalibur," VEGAS.com Chief Operating Officer Bryan Allison told The Sun. "Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends."
The Excalibur hotel and casino remained open after the incident but the area where the shooting took place was closed off as police were investigating.
The Excalibur is a 4,000-room hotel on Tropicana Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard. It has a castle theme as it is named after the fictional sword belonging to King Arthur.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
