Gunman Opens Fire in Vegas Casino

July 6, 2007
Four wounded at New York-New York during random shooting from walkway over casino floor

LAS VEGAS -- A man on a walkway over the New York-New York casino floor opened fire on the gamblers below early Friday, wounding four people before he was tackled by officers and patrons, police said.

Two women and two men were being treated at a local hospital for non-life threatening injuries, said Officer Ramon Denby, spokesman for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

The gunman is believed to be in his early 50s and a Las Vegas resident. He was not a hotel employee or guest, Denby said.

The man entered the casino from the walkway connecting the New York-New York to the MGM Grand a little before 1 a.m., and randomly fired several times at people on the casino floor below, said Denby. "Investigators are still collecting bullets," he said.

Denby said the casino remained opened, and investigators were interviewing witnesses.

"This is a very rare incident," said Denby. "It seems like some local guy who snapped and went to the hotel to do it."

The 2,000-room casino, which opened in 1997, features a facade replicating the New York City skyline, with a 47-story knockoff of the Empire State Building, a 150-foot Statue of Liberty and a Coney Island-style roller coaster. It is owned by MGM Mirage.

Casino spokeswoman Yvette Monet said its operations had been fully restored Friday morning.

"Guests are being informed that it's business as usual," Monet said.

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