Gov. John Bel Edwards ordered flags at state buildings across Louisiana to be lowered until Friday, Oct. 6, for a Lafayette police officer killed in the line of duty and a deadly mass shooting that left at least 58 people dead and 515 injured in Las Vegas.
Both shootings occurred late Sunday.
In a statement, Edwards expressed gratitude for the officer’s service, saying words are never enough to “those who pay the ultimate price while carrying out their oath to protect and serve.”
As for the Las Vegas shooting, the governor said Louisiana would offer assistance in any way it can. “Louisianans have experienced the heartbreak of horrific, calculated violence in recent years and our hearts go out to those who lost loved ones and those who sustained injuries during last night’s attack in Nevada,” he said.
A gunman on the 32nd floor of a Las Vegas hotel rained heavy fire down on a crowd of more than 22,000 at an outdoor country music festival last night in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, The Associated Press reports. The gunman was identified as 64-year-old Stephen Craig Paddock, who had no known ties to international terror groups, the FBI has said.
As news of the attack spread this morning, before a final tally of Las Vegas casualties could be reached, shares of gunmakers rose—a predictable stock market reaction to mass shootings in the U.S., Bloomberg reports.
Shares of Olin Corp., the maker of Winchester ammunition, rose nearly 6% by midday. American Outdoor Brands Corp., formerly Smith & Wesson Holding Corp., was up about 4% and Sturm Ruger & Co. rose 4%.
Historically, gun stocks experience a bump after a mass shooting for political and emotional reasons. Sales rise over concerns that a deadly event could lead to more stringent gun control laws, and consumers rush to buy guns to defend against future attacks.
