Another Shooting Near Las Vegas Strip Casino Injures Man

Posted on: October 13, 2020, 10:52h. 

Last updated on: October 14, 2020, 09:46h.

Larry Henry Read More
Expertise: Commercial Gaming, Gaming Business, Legislation, Politics, Regulation.

One man was hospitalized in a shooting Sunday near the Miracle Mile Shops and Planet Hollywood hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip. This is the latest in a wave of violence on the Strip.

Miracle Mile Shops Shooting
An officer directs bystanders at the site of a shooting Sunday near the Miracle Mile Shops on the Las Vegas Strip. Police are beefing up patrols after several recent shootings on the Strip. (Image: Las Vegas Review-Journal)

The shooting just before 7:30 pm was captured on video and tweeted by KSNV-TV. The profanity-laced video shows someone taunting a man who is walking away with his right hand inside a black backpack. When two men approach the man carrying the backpack, he apparently removes a gun and fires one shot. The victim is seen falling to the ground. The suspect then ran north on the Strip. He remained at large early Tuesday.

Police believe the shooting resulted from a narcotics transaction, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The victim was hospitalized with a non-life-threatening gunshot to the leg, authorities said.

The Miracle Mile Shops are connected to the Planet Hollywood hotel-casino. Following a COVID-19 shutdown in the spring, the shops reopened June 9. Planet Hollywood was one of the last casinos to reopen on the Strip. It began operating again on Oct. 8.

Out-of-State Gang Violence

With coronavirus cases spiking in March, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) ordered most businesses statewide to close, including casinos. He allowed casinos to reopen on June 4 with health measures in place. Some began operating right away, but others reopened over time. Most resorts in Southern Nevada are open again.

During the summer and into the early fall, violent incidents on the Strip and nearby tourism areas have left several victims hospitalized. These include shootings at or near the Aria, Paris, and Flamingo hotel-casinos.

A Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department captain recently told county officials that out-of-state gangs and visitors are responsible for “a good portion” of the recent violence.

To curb this activity, the combined city-county police department, known locally as Metro, has increased its patrols in the tourism areas. Police made 85 arrests last Friday and Saturday on the Strip, according to KVVU-TV.

Casino Increase Security

In response to the violence, some hotel-casinos on the Strip have beefed up their own security.

After a fight at the Encore hotel-casino in early September, a Wynn Resorts spokesperson said the company would raise room rates and add additional security measures. Wynn Resorts owns the Encore and Wynn Las Vegas hotel-casinos on the Strip. In addition to a K-9 team, the company has brought in more security officers.

On weekends, guests entering the Wynn Resorts properties will be scanned for metal objects. Officers also will check handheld bags.

Similar procedures are being put into place at the Cosmopolitan hotel-casino on the Strip. Officers at the Cosmopolitan will scan guests with a metal-detection wand and search bags. No one will be allowed on the property from 6 pm to 6 am on Fridays or Saturdays without a hotel or restaurant reservation. Rewards members also will be allowed on the property.