WASHINGTON: Calling the Las Vegas shooting ‘an act of pure evil’, American President Donald Trump condemned the violence perpetrated by one Stephen Paddock, at a country music festival which killed 58 and injured more than 500.
In the aftermath of the incident, on Monday, Trump used a five-minute solemn address from the White House to urge the American people to unite by love and “in sadness, shock and grief”.
Trump also offered condolences for the victims and their families. “In times such as these I know we are searching for some kind of meaning in the chaos, some kind of light in the darkness,” he said. “The answers do not come easy. But we can take solace knowing that even the darkest space can be brightened by a single light, and even the most terrible despair can be illuminated by a single ray of hope.”
Trump also directed for the flag to be flown at half-staff at federal buildings.
“We had no knowledge of this individual,” Las Vegas Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said of Paddock. “I don’t know how it could have been prevented.”
According to the brother of the shooter, Stephen was a retired accountant and family was shocked to know about his actions. So far, no motive has been determined for the mass shooting, the worst in the history of the country. The previous incident of this magnitude was at a nightclub in Florida in which 49 people were killed.