The seemingly constant barrage of mass shootings in the United States has Americans on high alert. On Saturday night, false reports of gunshots at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas caused widespread panic.
When a glass door shattered on the Vegas Strip, people mistook the loud noise for gunfire. The misinformation snowballed, and hundreds of tourists began to sprint for their lives. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police attempted to quell the panic, saying, "There is no evidence of gunfire in the area and the event is under investigation."
Nevertheless, people ran out of New York-New York and MGM Grand. In videos taken inside the MGM Grand, cops can be seen entering the space with guns drawn, only worsening the collective terror. The stampede was so hectic that one person suffered injuries after falling in the midst of the mania. The individual who broke the glass door was detained, stopped on the suspicion of destruction of property. As of yet, there have been no arrests. The World Series of Poker was temporarily paused as the events unfolded, but resumed when it was confirmed to be a false alarm.
In the past few months, there have been a number of mass shootings in the US. On July 4, a shooter killed six people and injured twenty-four during an Independence Day parade. In June, Philadelphia saw a mass shooting which left three dead and thirteen injured. In May, an 18-year-old entered Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas and killed nineteen children and two teachers. Just this past Friday, a mass shooting was narrowly avoided in Memphis at a Yo Gotti concert.
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