The 10 deadliest mass shootings in modern US history

las vegas shooting memorialGetty Images/Drew Angerer

Sunday's horrific attack in Las Vegas bears the unfortunate distinction of being the deadliest mass shooting in US history.

The shooting left 59 people dead and nearly 530 injured after a gunman opened fire from his Mandalay Bay hotel room on a crowd of people below attending a country music festival.

The attack took place just 14 months after a shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, which at the time became a grim new benchmark for American mass shootings.

Here are the 10 deadliest mass shootings in modern US history:

Las Vegas, October 1, 2017 — 59 dead, 527 wounded

Getty/David Becker

Late Sunday evening, gunman Stephen Paddock opened fire on a crowd attending the Route 91 Harvest festival from his 32nd-floor room at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Casino.

The rampage lasted more than 15 minutes as panicked concertgoers tried to take cover, unaware of where the fire was coming from.

A police SWAT unit broke into Paddock's room and found the suspect dead by suicide.



Orlando, June 12, 2016 — 49 dead, 58 wounded

Associated Press/John Raoux

Before Sunday, the deadliest mass shooting in US history was the 2016 shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

Gunman Omar Mateen killed nearly 50 people at the nightclub before he was killed by Orlando police. As the club was hosting a "Latin Night," many of the victims were Latino.

During the shooting, Mateen called Orlando police and swore allegiance to the ISIS, although authorities found no evidence of communication between the terrorist group and the attacker. Still, the shooting drew swift condemnation from American Muslims. It remains the deadliest act of terror in the US since September 11.



Virginia Tech University, April 16, 2007 — 32 dead, 17 wounded

AP Photo/Amy Sancetta

The 2007 mass shooting on Virginia Tech University's campus remains the deadliest school shooting in US history.

Gunman Seung-Hui Cho, a senior at the school, killed more than 30 students and instructors in two separate attacks about two hours apart before committing suicide.




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