WASHINGTON – There are no active-duty military among the victims of Sunday’s Las Vegas attack, the Pentagon has confirmed.
In addition, the department has concluded there are no records that the shooter, identified as 64-year-old Stephen Paddock, served in the U.S. military, said Col. Rob Manning, Pentagon spokesman.
Manning told reporters Monday afternoon that the active branches have all checked in and confirmed no military members were impacted by the shooting. The Nevada National Guard check-in is still ongoing at this time, due to slower processes.
Shortly after the attacks, six U.S. Air Force trauma surgeons were seconded to University Medical Center in Las Vegas to assist with the wounded, Manning said. That occurred under an existing agreement between the hospital and the service.
Manning added that assets from Nellis Air Force Base, located near Las Vegas, were ready to assist if required, but that no request has come from local authorities.
On Sunday night, Paddock unleashed a hail of bullets form the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel on an outdoor country music festival below, killing at least 58 people as tens of thousands of concertgoers screamed and ran for their lives,
At least 515 others were injured in the Sunday night attack, authorities said, in what is the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
The FBI has said there are no connection between the shooter and any international terrorist groups, although social media accounts tied to the Islamic State group, commonly known as ISIS or ISIL, have claimed responsibility to an international terrorist group.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Aaron Mehta was deputy editor and senior Pentagon correspondent for Defense News, covering policy, strategy and acquisition at the highest levels of the Defense Department and its international partners.
