A gunman has been killed by a SWAT team after opening fire from an eighth-floor apartment in Reno in a chilling echo of the Las Vegas attack.
Police rushed to the luxury downtown apartment block after receiving reports of sporadic shots from an ‘elevated position’ around 7pm on Tuesday.
They surrounded the building and ‘contained’ the gunman while they negotiated with him as he held a woman hostage.
SWAT team then stormed the apartment and shot the suspect. They took him into custody where he died of his wounds. There were no reports of injuries.
A gunman has been killed by police after opening fire from an apartment block in Reno, Nevada. This video was taken from across the street at the Whitney Park Hotel
The female hostage in the room with the shooter was able to get out unharmed.
‘She’s obviously traumatized and shaken up,’ said Deputy Police Chief Tom Robinson who did not say if she knew the gunman.
Police did not name the shooter but described him as a young adult.
They said he was shooting for around 30 minutes from the Montage building – where Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock used to own an apartment – but did not hit anyone in the quiet streets outside.
The gunman was using a shoulder-fired rifle with 20 to 50 rounds of ammunition. He shot five to ten bullets then waited minutes before firing again, police said.
It’s not clear if he was aiming at people or firing into the air, although police taking cover behind their cars saw ‘sparks and spatter’ from his bullets hitting the ground.
Terrified residents in the block were told to stay in their apartments via the intercom until a SWAT team neutralized the shooter.
Vick Wowo, an 18th-floor resident of The Montage, said he panicked when he heard gunshots.
Police said he was shooting for around 30 minutes from the Montage building (picutred) but did not hit anyone in the quiet streets outside
This map shows how the apartment was overlooking N. Sierra Street and much of the downtown area
Law enforcement block downtown Reno, Nevada, streets during an active shooter response at the Montage apartment building
He told the Reno Gazette Journal: ‘I was the most shook when I heard the gunshots.
‘To be honest, the most comforting element was being made aware through the intercom system,’ he added.
Jill Flanzraich heard gunshots when she was watching TV in her eight-floor apartment.
She opened the door and SWAT team officers told her to get back inside before she was later evacuated with other residents as police yelled ‘get out, get out.’
Karl Fiebiger, a seventh-floor resident, said police told him to get out because bullets could penetrate windows and floors.
‘Honestly I knew the shooter was close, I could feel the windows vibrate, I could hear things falling from walls,’ Fiebiger told the RGJ.
He added: ‘I was pretty glad to evacuate because I knew I wasn’t in the safest situation if bullets started flying.’
The block is surrounded by some of downtown Reno’s most popular casinos, and the gunfire brought eerie echoes of the Las Vegas shooting two months earlier that killed 58 on October 1.
Stephen Paddock, the man who opened fire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel and casino onto an outdoor concert below, had owned a unit at the Montage. Records show he sold the property in December 2016.
A female hostage in the room with the suspect was able to get out unharmed. Pictured: Police cars race to the scene
Sixty-four-year-old Paddock modified an AR-15 to loose a stream of constant bullets like an automatic weapon in the attack at Las Vegas, which is 450 miles south.
‘When you heard it’s coming from above it reminds you of the guy shooting from Mandalay Bay,’ said Mike Pavicich, who was in town on business from Las Vegas and was standing atop a parking garage at the neighboring Eldorado Resort Casino when the shots rang out.
‘It’s scary, you know?’ Pavicich told the Review-Journal. ‘This is the same kind of town.’
The Montage building was once a casino itself before it was converted into luxury condos, according to its website.
Dramatic video from the hotel across the street showed police cars arriving on the scene.
Sparks Police Department said in a press release: ‘Shortly before 7:00 pm on November 28, 2017 Reno Police Dispatch received numerous calls from citizens reporting a possible active shooter.
‘As officers worked to contain the area of the incident, Reno Police Negotiators also responded and made contact with the suspect and a female who was also in the room.
‘Officers determined the suspect was firing from inside a room at 255 N. Sierra Street above ground level. The suspect continued to actively fire his weapon with the female also inside.
‘Members with the Reno Police and Washoe County Sheriff’s SWAT team converged on the suspect’s room and an officer involved shooting occurred.
‘Medical personnel already on scene rendered aid to the suspect who was transported to an area hospital where he was declared deceased. The suspect’s identity will not be released until notification of next of kin.
‘After the situation was contained, it was discovered that a citizen received a superficial injury to her hand that did not require medical attention. At this time there is no information that any other citizens or law enforcement personnel were injured.
‘The Regional Officer Involved Shooting Protocol has been enacted, and the Sparks Police are leading the investigation. There is no threat to the public and investigators remain on scene.
‘The investigation is in its preliminary stages, but it appears that the suspect acted alone. This case is actively being investigated, and no additional information will be released at this time.
‘Anyone with information is urged to call Sparks Police 353-2231 or Secret Witness at 322-4900.’
Officers then reported that the man was ‘detained’ and the threat was gone, before later confirming officers had shot him dead