Newport Beach off-duty police officer and city staff member injured in Las Vegas concert shooting; resident describes ‘horrific’ scene

An off-duty Newport Beach police officer and a city staff member were among more than 500 people injured when a gunman opened fire Sunday night at an outdoor country music festival near the Las Vegas Strip, local authorities said.

Afterward, a Newport Beach resident who traveled to the festival with his girlfriend recounted the harrowing violence in an interview with the Associated Press.

And a Huntington Beach resident described “blood everywhere.�

More than 22,000 concert-goers sought cover or fled as a barrage of what sounded like machine-gun fire ripped through the crowd beginning at 10:08 p.m. At least 59 people were killed.

The injuries suffered by the Newport Beach staff member and police officer are not life-threatening, according to Newport Beach police spokeswoman Jennifer Manzella.

Their names have not been released.

“Our thoughts are with everyone involved in [the] incident, including the family and loved ones affected by this tragedy, and law enforcement, other first-responders and medical staff who work tirelessly to preserve life,� Manzella said in a statement.

Newport Beach resident Jason Sorenson, 33, told AP that he initially thought the shooter’s gunfire was the sound of fireworks from a nearby venue, but the situation became clear when singer Jason Aldean dropped his guitar and ran off the stage.

“It was horrific,� Sorenson said. “We just starting running and we saw people with blood all over their shirts. I was bracing to be hit by a bullet any second.�

People tried to flee between rounds of gunfire, he said.

“We ran and ducked, ran and ducked until we got as far away as we could,� he said.

Candace LaRosa, 48, of Huntington Beach told the Las Vegas Sun: “We were all dancing, we were having a good time; all of a sudden I heard all these shots. It was just mass, mass blood everywhere.�

Authorities have called the tragedy the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history.

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UPDATES:

5 p.m. Oct. 3: This article was updated with Candace LaRosa’s comments.

3:50 p.m. Oct. 3: This article was updated with comments from Jason Sorenson.

This article was originally published at 10:15 a.m. Oct. 2.