Lady Gaga heads to Vegas with dual shows

Pop star Lady Gaga on Tuesday announced a residency in Las Vegas with twin shows to display her two sides -- extravagant and glitzy, and stripped back and jazzy.

At 32, Lady Gaga is unusually young and culturally prominent to launch a residency in Sin City, generally the preserve of older artists who either want to set up elaborate productions away from the rigors of the road or to cash in on the nostalgia of tourists.

Lady Gaga said her shows would begin on December 28 at the newly rebranded Park MGM, a giant complex on the Las Vegas Strip which was initially built as the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino in the style of the Mediterranean gambling hub.

The synth-pop star once known for her eye-popping attire and ultra-extroverted sexuality plans two shows, with one, entitled "Lady Gaga Enigma," promising more of her theatrics.

"We're creating a show unlike anything I've done before. It will be a celebration of all that is unique and different within us," she said in a statement.

"The challenges of bravery can be overcome with creativity and courage that is grown out of adversity, love and music."

The other show, "Lady Gaga Jazz and Piano," will star her singing minimalist versions of her songs as well as pop standards.

Gaga refashioned her career four years ago when she teamed up with classic crooner Tony Bennett, who is six decades her senior.

She similarly adopted a more mature sound on her latest album, "Joanne," which veered into country music with lyrics about family ties.

Lady Gaga announced "Enigma" shows through November 2019 with only a handful of the stripped-back concerts.

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A day after a massacre, Vegas is not quite Vegas

LAS VEGAS- The slot machines were still ringing and the drinks still flowing but the party didn't feel quite the same along the world-famous Las Vegas Strip on Monday evening, 24 hours after a gunman staged the bloodiest shooting in modern US history.

The somber mood was especially pronounced at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, where police say a retiree with an arsenal of assault rifles rained hundreds of bullets into a crowd of concert-goers below his room, killing at least 59 and injuring more than 500.

A hush had descended over the Mandalay hotel lobby that, in normal times, bustles with excitement at nearly every hour of the day or night. The shrieking gamblers, the bachelorettes with oversized cocktails, the high-rollers spruced up for an expensive evening out, all were nowhere to be seen.

Instead, a few solitary gamblers sat with glassy eyes in front of slot machines in the lobby. Four security officers unceremoniously escorted a Reuters reporter out when she tried to interview a casino guest.

"It's eerie. People are trying to enjoy it, but there's a cloud hanging over the city right now," said Greg Hartnett, 31, who had arrived for his first visit to Vegas earlier in the day.

Hartnett, who lives near the site of the 2007 massacre of 32 people at Virginia Tech university, said Sunday's rampage reminded him of that bloodbath.

"It really shows the dark side of humanity," he said.

Vegas cabbie Alex Sanchez said his passengers were much less chatty than usual, and there were many fewer cars on the road.

"People come here for an escape. They want to leave their stresses behind," Sanchez said. "And this really puts a damper on it."

Despite the overall gloominess, people along the Strip appeared more ready than on a more carefree day to hold a door or share a quiet smile with strangers.

"I've been thanking every police officer I see," said Hartnett. "I feel like it's bringing people together.

Sheriffs deputies and their gleaming white motorcycles were parked on the sidewalk in a show of force, perhaps intended to reassure anxious tourists.

"Thanks for last night, guys," shouted one passing woman.

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Automatic weapons may have been used in Las Vegas massacre

The gunman who fired on Las Vegas concertgoers from more than 1,000 feet away on Sunday may have used fully automatic weapons - or guns legally modified to act like them - that allowed him to shoot a hail of bullets into the crowd of 22,000 people.

A U.S. law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters authorities believe 64-year-old Stephen Paddock had at least two such weapons when he fired from his 32nd-floor hotel room, killing at least 59 people and injuring more than 500.

The rat-a-tat sound of the Las Vegas shooter's gunfire prompted police at the scene to report the gunman was using an "automatic" weapon - a term often used to describe a fully automatic gun that can fire as many rounds as its magazine, drum or belt holds by pulling and holding the trigger.

Those weapons have been largely outlawed for three decades, though Paddock could also have used legal or illegal means to alter semi-automatic rifles, which fire a round every time the trigger is pulled.

"From the audio, that is not someone who has a traditional semi-automatic rifle firing it in its normal condition," said David Chipman, a former Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent who advises the gun control group Americans for Responsible Solutions. "Either it's a machine gun or it's been modified. I don't believe a human can do that with his finger."

Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said investigators found 16 weapons in Paddock's suite at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. He added that officials believe at least some of the guns were modified, possibly to allow for more rapid fire.

It was not clear when or how Paddock obtained the weapons. Chris Sullivan, owner of the Guns & Guitars shop near Paddock's home in Mesquite, Nevada, confirmed Paddock had legally purchased firearms from the store but did not offer more detail.

In 1986, Congress barred civilians from buying or selling fully automatic weapons made after that date, though individuals can legally possess older weapons after passing a background check and obtaining a special permit.

There are about 176,000 pre-1986 machine guns registered with the U.S. government that can be legally transferred, and they typically cost tens of thousands of dollars.

But there are also less expensive legal products that can allow semi-automatic rifles such as the AR-15, which are much more widely available, to fire hundreds of rounds per minute.

A "bump stock," for example, replaces a semi-automatic rifle's stock, which rests against the shoulder to provide stability and absorb recoil.

The bump stock causes the gun's recoil to press against the shooter's finger after each shot, firing rounds much more quickly than possible by pulling it manually.

The website for one such product, Slide Fire, shows several videos in which shooters launch multiple rounds per second in bursts that sound almost indistinguishable from automatic fire. Reviewers have reported that the product permits a shooter to go through hundreds of rounds every minute.

The company did not return requests for comment.

'SOUPED-UP SEMI'?

Such devices are not outlawed because the trigger is still pulled for each round, even though the rate is faster than possible using only one's finger.

"There's very little difference between a souped-up semi automatic and a fully automatic," said Mike McLively, a policy expert with Americans for Responsible Solutions.

Paddock could also have illegally converted semi-automatic rifles into fully automatic guns, a process made easier by the presence of guides uploaded to the internet.

Nevada law lets residents own machine guns, if they are permitted under federal law. The state does not require licenses, registration or a waiting period for firearms, including semi-automatic rifles.

Sunday's shooting prompted renewed calls from Democrats for tighter gun laws, though it is unlikely the Republican-controlled Congress will take up such measures.

Shares in gunmakers American Outdoor Brands and Sturm, Ruger & Co rose 3.21 percent and 3.48 percent, respectively, on Monday. Gun stocks often spike following mass shootings on fears of stricter gun control.

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At least 50 dead, more than 400 hurt in Las Vegas concert attack

* Shooting took place during country music festival

* Police say shooter acted alone, no militant links

* Gunman killed, police searching for female associate (Updates death toll)

LAS VEGAS - At least 50 people were killed and hundreds hurt when a 64-year-old gunman armed with more than 10 rifles opened fire on a Las Vegas country music festival on Sunday night, raining down bullets from a 32nd-floor window for several minutes before killing himself.

The death toll, which police emphasized was preliminary, would make the mass shooting the deadliest in U.S. history, eclipsing last year's massacre of 49 people at an Orlando night club by a gunman who pledged allegiance to Islamic State militants.

About 22,000 people were in the crowd when a man police identified as Stephen Paddock opened fire from a room in the Mandalay Bay hotel, causing concertgoers to panic, some trampling on others as law enforcement officers scrambled to find the gunman.

Shocked concertgoers, some with blood on their clothing, wandered the streets afterwards.

Police said they had no information about Paddock's motive, that he had no criminal record and was not believed to be connected to any militant group. Paddock, of Mesquite, Nevada, killed himself before police entered the hotel room he was firing from, Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo told reporters.

"We have no idea what his belief system was," Lombardo said.

Two senior U.S. government officials told Reuters that Paddock's name was not on any database of suspected terrorists and that there was no evidence linking him to any international militant group.

One of the two U.S. officials discounted a claim of responsibility that was made by Islamic State. There was reason to believe that Paddock had a history of psychological problems, the official said.

In its claim, Islamic State said that the gunman was a recent convert, according to the group's news agency Amaq. Its claim did not include the gunman's name and showed no proof. In the past, the group has also claimed responsibility for attacks without providing evidence.

Lombardo said there were more than 10 rifles in the room where Paddock killed himself. He had checked into the hotel on Thursday.

Police found several weapons when they searched Paddock's home, in a retirement community in Mesquite, Nevada, about 90 miles (145 km) northeast of Las Vegas, Mesquite police spokesman Quinn Averett told reporters.

The dead included one off-duty police officer, Lombardo said. Two on-duty officers were injured, including one who was in stable condition after surgery and one who sustained minor injuries, Lombardo said. Police warned the death toll may rise.

U.S. President Donald Trump offered his condolences to the victims via a post on Twitter.

"My warmest condolences and sympathies to the victims and families of the terrible Las Vegas shooting. God bless you!" said Trump.

'JUST KEPT GOING ON'

Video of the attack showed panicked crowds fleeing as sustained rapid gunfire ripped through the area.

"People were just dropping to the ground. It just kept going on," said Steve Smith, a 45-year-old visitor from Phoenix, Arizona, who had flown in for the concert. He said the gunfire went on for an extended period of time.

"Probably 100 shots at a time," Smith said. "It would sound like it was reloading and then it would go again."

Las Vegas's casinos, nightclubs and shopping draw some 3.5 million visitors from around the world each year and the area was packed with visitors when the shooting broke out shortly after 10 p.m. local time (0400 GMT).

Shares of U.S. casino operators fell in morning trading on Wall Street, with MGM Resorts International, which owns the Mandalay Bay, down 3.5 percent. Melco Resorts & Entertainment Ltd, Wynn Resorts Ltd and Las Vegas Sands Corp were little changed.

Mike McGarry, a financial adviser from Philadelphia, was at the concert when he heard hundreds of shots ring out.

"It was crazy - I laid on top of the kids. They're 20. I'm 53. I lived a good life," McGarry said. The back of his shirt bore footmarks, after people ran over him in the panicked crowd.

The shooting broke out on the final night of the three-day Route 91 Harvest festival, a sold-out event featuring top acts such as Eric Church, Sam Hunt and Jason Aldean.

"Tonight has been beyond horrific," Aldean said in a statement on Instagram. "It hurts my heart that this would happen to anyone."

'WE'RE HORRIFIED'

The suspected shooter's brother, Eric Paddock, said the family was stunned.

"We have no idea. We're horrified. We're bewildered and our condolences go out to the victims," Eric Paddock said in a brief telephone interview, his voice trembling. "We have no idea in the world."

As with previous U.S. mass shootings, the incident sparked anger among advocates for gun control. The Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects the right to bear arms, and gun-rights advocates staunchly defend that provision.

"It's time for Congress to get off its ass and do something," said U.S. Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, where 26 young children and educators were killed in an attack on a school in 2012.

"This must stop. It is positively infuriating that my colleagues in Congress are so afraid of the gun industry that they pretend there aren't public policy responses to this epidemic."

The rampage was reminiscent of a mass shooting at a Paris rock concert in November 2015 that killed 89 people, part of a wave of coordinated attacks by Islamist militants in which 130 people were killed.

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Oregon woman held in Las Vegas Strip sidewalk rampage

LAS VEGAS - An Oregon woman who plowed her car into pedestrians on a crowded Las Vegas Strip sidewalk on Sunday evening, killing one person and injuring at least 35 others, was homeless and had been living in her sedan with her toddler, police said on Monday.

Lakeisha N. Holloway, 24, gave herself up to officers a short distance from the scene of the carnage after parking her car and telling a valet to call 911, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Sheriff Joe Lombardo told a news conference.

Surveillance video from the scene supports the police assertion that Holloway drove into pedestrians as "an intentional act," Lombardo said.

He told reporters Holloway made a statement to police explaining her motive. He declined to relate what she said, other than that the incident did not appear to be a militant attack.

U.S. law enforcement has been on heightened alert since 14 people died in a Dec. 2 shooting massacre in San Bernardino, California, by a married couple inspired by Islamic extremists.

Sunday's incident occurred as the Miss Universe beauty pageant was underway at a nearby hotel.

The scene unfolded with Holloway repeatedly driving a 1996 Oldsmobile into pedestrians on the crowded walkway, banging into newspaper stands and poles, Lombardo said.

Bystanders pounded on the car window and tried to open the door in a futile attempt to stop her, he said.

Justin Cochrane, a tourist who was having dinner on The Strip, told CNN the sedan, its windshield cracked, barreled past him. He said the driver then swerved to avoid a truck before accelerating back onto the sidewalk.

"It was mayhem, and it was very intentional," Cochrane told CNN. "People were flying. This child I saw, literally, hit. And the sound, I'll never forget."

Jessica Valenzuela, 32, of Buckeye, Arizona, an outer suburb of Phoenix, died from injuries after she was struck, the Clark County Coroner-Medical Examiner's office said.

Other victims included visitors from Colorado, Florida, Mexico and Quebec, Canada.

Clark County District Attorney Steven Wolfson said his office planned to bring charges of murder with use of a deadly weapon and other counts against Holloway, who was held without bail.

Holloway, who is from Oregon and had been driving a car registered in Portland, had been homeless and living in the car in Las Vegas for about a week with her 3-year-old daughter, Lombardo said. The child was in the car when Holloway drove into the pedestrians.

University Medical Center was treating three patients listed as critical and two in serious condition, spokeswoman Danita Cohen said in an email. An 11-year-old was among the injured, she said.

Holloway's child, who was unhurt in the incident, is in protective custody, Lombardo said.

The sheriff said investigators were trying to piece together Holloway's background.

In the spring of 2012 Holloway received an award from a career-mentoring nonprofit in Portland for being a role model for high school students, according to The Skanner, a community website and newspaper published in the Pacific Northwest.

The story recounts Holloway describing her mother as having "turned to alcohol, leaving Lakeisha to fend for herself."Holloway was homeless during her freshman year in high school, according to the newspaper, but had since graduated.

On her Facebook page, Holloway indicated that she had studied at Portland Community College.

(Additional reporting by Alicia Avila, David Becker and Rollo Ross in Las Vegas, Curtis Skinner in San Francisco, Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles and Ian Simpson in Washington; Writing by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Gareth Jones, Bernadette Baum and Dan Grebler)

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