Crime & Court
Las Vegas shooting becomes deadliest in US history as death toll hits 55
No fewer than 55 people have been confirmed dead following the mass shooting that occurred Sunday night in Las Vegas.
The number of injured has surpassed 200.
The incident is now officially the deadliest in the history of United States.
The killings took place outside a building at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino during the Route 91 country festival.
The shooter fired into the crowd from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel.
The attacker was later killed in a shoot-out with police.
Cole Watson, who was at the concert with his wife and kids, said “at first it sounded like someone was setting off a whole lot of fire crackers”.
He said when they “realised it was gunfire, everybody started running”
“The scene was insane – it was absolute chaos,” Watson told Al Jazeera by telephone.
Wade Millward, a journalist with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, told Al Jazeera that gun fire echoed while country-music star Jason Aldean was performing.
“Witnesses told me they heard a sound like fireworks going off,” he said.
“Aldean played on for about thirty seconds before it dawned on everyone that this was not fireworks. Then people hit the ground and people ran.”
Watson said he saw several injured people when he and his family ran from the scene of the attack.
The event was the Route 91 Harvest Festival, a three-day country music event. The Festival was held at the Las Vegas Village and Festival Grounds, run by MGM Resorts. It happened at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.
The gunman fired from a Las Vegas hotel.
Country singer Jason Aldean was performing, when the shooting started. Several SWAT teams were sent to the hotel immediately after the first reports of the shooting at 10:08 p.m Shortly before midnight the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department reported that “one suspect is down,”.
He was neutralised in a hotel room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel.Numerous weapons had been found in the room. A search was also due to take place shortly at his home address.
Thereafter the police said they did not believe there were any more active gunmen.The gunman was identified as
Stephen Paddock, 64 from Nevada. More than 50 victims died, and at least 200 others were wounded.
It is one of the deadliest mass shootings in United States history.
Crime & Court
EFCC Secures Public Summons Against Yahaya Bello in ₦110bn Case
Justice Maryanne Anenih of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory has issued a public summons for former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello to appear in court to respond to a fresh 16-count indictment.
The summons requires Bello to attend court on October 24 for his arraignment, alongside co-defendants Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu.
The public summons was ordered following an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
In her ruling, Justice Anenih directed the EFCC to publish the summons in a widely circulated newspaper to ensure proper notification.
Also, the court instructed the EFCC to post copies of the public summons at Bello’s last known address and in conspicuous locations within the court premises.
The EFCC has reported difficulties in serving the charges, which were filed on September 24, alleging that Bello and the two co-defendants committed a criminal breach of trust involving a staggering ₦110.4 billion.
Crime & Court
Police Officer Stabs Civilian to Death Over ‘Uncleared Transaction’
A Police Inspector, Mohammed Bulama, attached to the Police Mobile Force (PMF) 41 in Yobe State, has been arrested for allegedly killing a 39-year-old civilian, Abdulmalik Dauda, during a confrontation in Damaturu, the state capital.
The incident, which occurred on September 29, 2024, was sparked by a heated argument between Bulama and Dauda over “uncleared transactions” in the Zango area of Damaturu. The argument escalated, leading Bulama to fatally stab Dauda in the chest.
In a statement, the Yobe State Police spokesperson, Dungus Abdulkarim, confirmed Bulama’s arrest and announced that an investigation into the homicide case had been launched.
“The Commissioner of Police, CP Garba Ahmed, has ordered an immediate and thorough investigation into the incident involving Inspector Mohammed Bulama,” Abdulkarim said.
He further disclosed that the officer has been placed in custody, pending internal disciplinary action and prosecution.
CP Ahmed condemned the actions of the officer, extending his condolences to the family of the victim.
He also assured the public that justice would be served swiftly in accordance with the law.
Crime & Court
Police Summon Officers Over Alleged N1m Corps Members’ Extortion
The Lagos State Police Command has summoned three officers accused of extorting N1 million from members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in the Surulere area of Lagos.
Footage of the incident, which went viral on social media late Friday, shows the officers confronting the corps members, reportedly over the absence of a physical copy of a driver’s license. The video was shared by social media user Oluyemi Fasipe, who claimed that the officers threatened the corps members with firearms and forcibly took them to the Kafaru Oluwole Tinubu House, the Area C Command of the Lagos State Police, where they allegedly extorted the sum of N1 million.
“Dear @BenHundeyin, Your officers today in Surulere extorted 1 million naira from three corps members,” Fasipe wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “They were threatened with firearms, kidnapped, and taken to the KAFARU OLUWOLE TINUBU HOUSE AREA C POLICE COMMAND of the @LagosPoliceNG where they were robbed.”
Fasipe added that the entire incident stemmed from the corps members’ inability to present a physical copy of a driver’s license, a situation he described as “evil.”
In one of the videos, the officers are seen inspecting the vehicle’s documents, with the situation escalating as additional officers arrived. One officer can be seen entering the car and demanding that the corps members stop recording the incident, while also prohibiting them from contacting their families.
In response, the spokesperson of the Lagos State Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed that the officers involved have been summoned, and an investigation is underway.
“The men have been summoned, and their trial has commenced,” Hundeyin wrote on X. “We urge the complainants to visit the Complaint Response Unit at the State Headquarters to testify at the ongoing trial.”
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