Insane body cam footage of police taking down Las Vegas gym shooter
Harrowing footage shows the moment police took down the gunman who shot up a Las Vegas gym, where officials said he had planned a mass killing.
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Wild video shows the moment police took down the gunman who shot up a Las Vegas gym, where officials said he had planned a mass killing before his gun jammed.
Daniel Ortega was caught on surveillance footage casually strolling into the Las Vegas Athletic Club last Friday afternoon armed with a huge rifle.
The 34-year-old had approached an employee at the front desk, The New York Post reported, before he briefly paced around and exchanged words with another worker.
He then suddenly lifted his gun and started firing as the employee tried to flee, police said.
Ortega managed to shoot a total of 24 rounds in the gym lobby, killing 31-year-old gym manager Edgar Quinonez and injuring three others.
Police now believe he was planning more deaths, but was thwarted when his gun jammed.
“Fortunately, this gentleman had a malfunction with his weapon, which actually saved this from being a mass casualty event,” Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Assistant Sheriff Jamie Prosser said.
The gunman was then caught on a camera stalking the front doors as responding officers staged themselves outside.
Body camera footage shows Ortega trying to make a run for it before an officer shot and struck him.
He later died at a nearby hospital, police said.
Police are still trying to determine a motive for Ortega’s shooting. It wasn’t clear if those shot alongside Mr Quinonez, the manager, were employees or gymgoers.
Their conditions were not immediately known.
Ortega worked out at the gym but there didn’t appear to be an immediate connection between him and the slain worker, police said.
Vegas suffered the worst mass shooting in history in 2017 when Stephen Paddock shot more than 600 people – killing 61 – from a hotel overlooking the Route 91 Harvest music festival.
This article originally appeared on The New York Post and was reproduced with permission
Originally published as Insane body cam footage of police taking down Las Vegas gym shooter