Late Sunday night a gunman opened fire at a country music festival in Las Vegas. As bullets rained down on the crowd, concertgoers ran to escape the gunfire. One of those people was Tiffany Odom, daughter of Alabama native, Kathy Odom.
In an interview with WKRG News, Kathy relived what it was like to get a call from her daughter as she fought for her life.
At around 12:30 a.m. Kathy awoke to a call from her daughter’s phone. “My phone rang, and it was my daughter’s number and there was nobody at the other end,” Kathy said. “All I could hear was screaming, hollering, and racket. I thought, ‘well maybe she just accidentally dialed my number,’ so I hung up.”
After the second call, Kathy knew her daughter’s life was in danger. “I didn’t know what to think because she told me she didn’t know whether she was going to live or die. She said she could hear the gunfire and it was so close. She’s a fighter.” said Kathy.
Tiffany was able to make it to safety, finding shelter in a nearby hotel room. Unfortunately, others were not so lucky.
According to reports, at least 58 are confirmed dead. An additional 515 are reported wounded, some in critical condition.
Authorities say Stephen Paddock, 64, is responsible for the shooting.
No motive has been determined, and the initial investigation points to no ties with any terrorist organization.
Police do know that Paddock opened fire from a 32nd-floor window of the Mandalay Bay hotel, which overlooked the concert venue filled with around 22,000 people. Shots lasted 10 to 15 minutes, with slight breaks in the fire so the gunman could reload. After police stormed the hotel, they found Paddock dead from what they believe is a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Around him were multiple rifles.
The investigation is ongoing, and we will update the story as new information comes to light.
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