Video shows struggle to help injured in Las Vegas shooting
The victims suffered gunshot wounds to their backs, chests, legs and arms.
They sat on curbs and lay on sidewalks as a Las Vegas police officer repeatedly called for ambulances.
“I’m up to 30 victims with gunshots,” the unidentified officer says. “Where is medical for Reno and Haven?”
The officer’s body camera footage from Oct. 1, released Wednesday, starts with the officer driving to Reno Avenue and Haven Street to establish a medical area for victims. The 30-minute clip shows one established triage area where victims with gunshot wounds were sent that night, along with the struggle to tend to their injuries with limited resources.
The officer puts on purple gloves and hands out tourniquets and gauze, telling people how to apply them and prioritizing more serious injuries.
“Just hold the bleeding on that one,” he tells a man with an arm wound. “We’ve got a lot of people with bad, bad injuries.”
A paramedic at the medical area worked on at least two people with chest injuries, but he’d done everything he could.
“I’ve got them triaged.” the paramedic says. “We need medical.”
After 17 minutes, an ambulance drives past the medical area, lights on and sirens blaring. Tensions rise when one man approaches the officer about a victim with critical injuries.
“He needs to go,” the man says. “Can we get an (expletive) car and take him?”
“Bro, (expletive) calm down. I’ve requested it six times, all right?” the officer replies. “You’re not helping. I know, I know they’re critical. They’re coming. Instead of arguing with me, just keep your eye out for a gunman to come up on our back.”
The first ambulances appear to arrive at Reno and Haven nearly 18 minutes into the video clip. The officer continues calling for “a lot more medical.”
“It seems like a lot of these ambulances are leaving with one victim,” he says. “We’re going to need them to take more than one at a time. It’s ridiculous.”
When people walk up and offer to help, he tells them to scan the area for “bad guys” and directs uninjured people to Hooters Hotel up the street.
One woman, shot in the chest, lies in the middle of the road. The officer isn’t sure if she will survive.
He radios in for ambulances again.
“We still have 40 or 50 people shot over here,” he says. “We’re going to need more medical when available.”
Hundreds of concertgoers were injured during the mass shooting on the Strip that night, and 58 were killed.
Contact Jamie Munks at jmunks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354. Follow @Journo_Jamie_ on Twitter.
