On October 1, 2017 my fiance and I were staying at the Mandalay Bay hotel for a Netapp (Insight 2017) conference, our
hotel room 30 room 318 was just 2 floors below the shooter If you know what MKUltra is I thought
these were interesting following the Keyhole, but are not my photos, I had meant to get photos of all the Butterflies on the walls in every hall later
on during our trip that was cut short...
We had just gotten back from dinner and took this photo at 10:02 pm along with some others just outside the Hotel and Just below where the Shooter was
about to begin...
Shortly after that I heard what sounded like a long string of fireworks going off but couldn't really be sure from where other than above and figure
nothing of it (It was Vegas the show was right across the street it).
We wandered back into the Casino, around 10:33 I took a photo of our drinks and the House of Blues stage.
We decided to go out on to the casino floor wandering around until like 10:55 and then headed back down to the casino floor where I tried to talk my
Fiance into one more drink! Suddenly several people start running and I am thinking there must be a movie star or something as they didn't appear
panicked.
I stand up wondering where our server was with our drinks and this time a huge number of people are running toward us and Police Officer is yelling
"Grab your # and get out NOW!" "MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!" We jump up my fiance cashes out and then its just a mash of people
heading out of the casino when I took this photo and heard a few loud booms.
We headed to an exit door and I turned around to see a woman lying on the floor and we were yelling at her if she was ok when I believe police coming
very fast with guns raised rounded the corner and everyone ran out into the garage.
We were in the garage for about 10 minutes when people starting getting in a
bit of panic so decide to leave the garage and we ran outside as we still wrongly believe this is a Casino Robber or a disgruntled loser. We headed
out and toward Las Vegas strip and I took some pics of all the police cars and this video with us joking around just below where the shooter was.
About 10 seconds after that video a several police came upon us and had us take cover behind a statue and told us to stay put.
That is when the helicopters started to fly around the hotel and the Police were getting reports of multiple shooters from
multiple hotels, drunk people were still walking the streets.I am still taking video of the Room oblivious that the shooter was up there possibly dead
by this time though. At 12:21 SWAT teams came by us yelling "Civilians and Go GO
GO!"
By 12:30 we were made to stay behind a Motel 8 and every time we looked around the corner or moved we were told to "Get BACK!" "MOVE" they were
just doing their jobs but at this time I was more afraid of getting accidentally shot by friendly fire as we had guns pointed at us!
We now overheard from the police there may be multiple shooters, and they had several false reports though. We also found out where the shooter
had been and I took these photos of his room on the 32nd floor. We could not see any other shot out windows at all and believe me we were
looking!
We did hear shooting again past this point, but not like the fireworks sounds from the Weapon the shooter modified. 12:43 I take a photo just before
my phone battery gives out.
We remained behind the Super 8 until possibly 2:45(?) and each time a SWAT would go by or a Helicopter would shine its lights down at us we would
raise our hands in the air or behind our heads as we were told, to show we were not combatants or armed.
Finally the Police who were with us moved on (they were nervous, but pretty good guys and trying to be friendly, they had told us at least 30 were
dead and over 100 injured at this point).
After they left we decided to try and walk to the Hotel to see if we could get back in to our room or at least get our things. At each entrances we
were met by very loud Hotel Security, bright flashlight or Police with weapons pointed our way. We finally met a larger group from our Hotel across
the street at the LUXOR with water bottles they were handing out while sitting in the Parking Garage.
We were escorted back into the Hotel, but taken to the Michael Jackson One Theater and made to wait with the people that were there (the show shut
down in the middle of a song and had the audience hide under their seats). My fiance took one photo of being escorted to save on her
batteryIt was about 3:15 am when I took this photo after being able to get my phone charged for a little
bit. I made calls and texts to family and friends to let them know we were ok. It was still not easy to find out what was
going on as cell service was pretty overloaded. We heard the body count was 50 dead and 300 or more injured...At 3:21 they began asking people
to remain calm as they were going to bus us to Thomas & Mack Center.
During the bus ride we passed by the carnage left from the shooting at the route 91 festival, there was blood and scattered clothes on the
sidewalks We passed the other hotels that had been shut down and then a triage station where there were several dozen body bags in the
middle of a blocked off intersection blocks from the shooting where they felt safe enough to set up. The bus got incredible quiet as we passed...
We got to the Center around 4-ish and again my phone died. Looking at people passing out blankets and wandering through the center. There were people
from the concert and the hotel most having no where to go that night, I thought I was taking photos with my Fiance's phone, but found none, perhaps I
was too exhausted at that point? We decided to try and find another hotel and were finally able book another room and went to bed around 5:15 am.
The next morning we awoke got a cab back to the Hotel and were finally able to get to our room where we turned on the TV and could see what
happened...and we were devastated hearing 500 injured and 58 dead!
Today my Fiance found this image and put a blue dot where we were hold up just after the shooting and just how close we were to all of this! We were
so lucky it was just a long night, other than a sore back and blistered (poor fiance in heels!!!) feet we are alive!
My heart and prayers goes out to the families and people not as lucky as we were!
One request I will try to answer any questions, but will not tolerate any kind of harassment or badgering if you disagree with my recollection or
anything for that matter. I am exhausted and I hope that people will respect mine and my Fiance's privacy outside of this post. I like anonymity, but
felt I could share this with ATS. Take care
Abeveage
Glad you and your wife made it through that terrible ordeal ok.
Thanks for sharing the story.
Thank you and just Fiance we hadn't had Elvis marry us before we had to turn around and head home...It was a harrowing 48 hours as we had a delayed
flight for 2 hours to fix the brakes on 3 hours of sleep! We didn't make it home until 2 am Monday night!
LOL ARGH! But we are home now.
edit on pmbAmerica/ChicagovAmerica/ChicagoWed, 04 Oct 2017 16:21:42 -0500pm4America/Chicago by abeverage
because: my fiance
Thanks for your story, and thanks for that map/picture of Mandalay Bay. It dwarfs all other buildings with the pyramid Luxor being second. That fact
somewhat neutralizes the explanation offered of echoes for the sounds of the gunshots. Nothing to echo off of.
I see you too got that strobe light on the 4th or 5th floor as well.
Sorry you guys got out of the garage area and into the line of fire it looks like. Thankfully that pillar/statue on the street corner provided cover
for you guys.
Edit: still going through your post.. ok you at the super 8 with armed police.
edit on 4-10-2017 by Bigburgh because: (no reason
given)
originally posted by: Salander
Thanks for your story, and thanks for that map/picture of Mandalay Bay. It dwarfs all other buildings with the pyramid Luxor being second. That fact
somewhat neutralizes the explanation offered of echoes for the sounds of the gunshots. Nothing to echo off of.
Actually there is plenty to echo off of including the Delano tower or Excalibur. I just saw the cab video and all I can think is that he would fire
out of the other window (although it is just as possible someone else was too...) there were however no other windows shot out that I recorded or saw!
I see you too got that strobe light on the 4th or 5th floor as well.
Sorry you guys got out of the garage area and into the line of fire it looks like. Thankfully that pillar/statue on the street corner provided cover
for you guys.
I would also like to say it was a strobe not a muzzle flash. Multiple floors had these "security" lights going off! It was not anyone's fault we ended
back out on the street it was very confusing and I was impressed with how quickly SWAT was there! And how quick the strip was locked down and other
than choppers or sirens very eerily silent!
originally posted by: CallmeRaskolnikov
wow, thanks for sharing. very interesting about the decor in the hallways being all butterfly wings. wonder if that's the same on every
floor?
It was the same on many floors for sure as I had a co-worker on the 6th with similar designs and butterflies...why I was going to photo them they were
strange!
Wow, beverage, great thread and play by play... I'm glad you and your fiance made it through and didn't get caught up in the flying bullets!
Thank you!
We were really only in danger when we took that first selfie and then oblivious to the noise DOODOODOO DOODOODOO! Fireworks or helicopter like noise
we casually walked back inside like no big deal! When we ended up back on the street I believe by that time the loud boom was them blowing his room
door up and finding him dead...again all stuff we learned the next day!
edit on pmbAmerica/ChicagovAmerica/ChicagoWed, 04 Oct 2017 16:25:35
-0500pm4America/Chicago by abeverage because: (no reason given)
Alarm Strobes! Of course! (And considering i worked in a hospital i would have remembered this)
I'll admit i was convinced for a bit that it was muzzle flash. Wasnt until OpethPa kept ABSOLUTELY insisting it wasn't.
Alarm Strobes! Of course! (And considering i worked in a hospital i would have remembered this)
I'll admit i was convinced for a bit that it was muzzle flash. Wasnt until OpethPa kept ABSOLUTELY insisting it wasn't.
I will also insist it is not muzzle flash! I cannot directly say there wasn't a second shooter in his room or another hotel but there was no other
windows out of our hotel and I walked completely around that building during that night!
Glad you guys are ok. You mentioned hearing shots while you were behind the motel 8 I think? You said they sounded different than the original? What
do you think they were...what area did they seem to come from (if you could tell) just interested in who might have been shooting by that point. Also
your time stamp is weird! Considering when one thinks they would have evacuated. An error maybe? Also (if not too personal) what was the topic of
your conference? Just curious to know what type of events the hotel was hosting that night. Thanks for the story and pics!