Paige Gasper is a 21-year-old college student from Wheatland, California and to our knowledge, she's the first Route 91 shooting victim to file a lawsuit against MGM Resorts following the mass shooting. Gasper was at the Route 91 festival and was shot in her right side. She spent several days in intensive care and is now recovering at home.
Her lawsuit claims MGM Resorts failed to properly watch people coming and going from the hotel and they didn't respond quickly enough after the first shots were fired at one of their security guards. The complaint also says that the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino didn't notice all of the guns going to Stephen Paddock's room and didn't act when he broke his hotel window.
Gasper's attorneys also question differences in the timeline of the shooting as reported by MGM and the Las Vegas police, the actions of the Mandalay Bay security guard, and a possible breakdown in the chain of command procedures.
At Tuesday's press conference, attorneys for Gasper also said officers were put in a difficult situation because of the conditions at the concert venue.
Heather Selken, Paige Gasper's mother emphasized that the need for improvements to safety procedures at events is one of the main reasons for the lawsuit. "We are certain that the change for safety needs to happen to honor those lives lost and those that are forever changed," Selken said. "Our driving force is wanting change in practices and security. When we buy a ticket to an event, we need to know our safety is considered and protected."
Selken also expressed gratitude to the Las Vegas community for the support her family has received.
MGM Resorts Spokesperson Debra DeShong responded to the lawsuit with the following statement:
The tragic incident that took place on October 1st was a meticulously planned, evil, senseless act. As our company and city work through the healing process, our primary focus and concern is taking actions to support the victims and their families, our guests and employees and cooperating with law enforcement. We are grateful for all who came to the victims’ aid that evening, including our employees, first responders, the police and citizens who acted in countless ways to assist. Out of respect for the victims we are not going to try this case in the public domain and we will give our response through the appropriate legal channels.
