A gunman was shot dead by police after his rifle malfunctioned while he attempted a mass shooting at a Las Vegas gym he frequented.
Daniel Ortega, a 34-year-old member of the Las Vegas Athletic Club, opened fire inside the gym on Friday afternoon, killing one and injuring three others, according to authorities.
The victim was identified as Edgar Quinonez, a 31-year-old gym employee of 15 years.
According to Assistant Sheriff Jamie Prosser of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Ortega approached an employee at the front desk and paced around before speaking briefly with another employee. He then fired at the first employee, who fled to the gym.
“The suspect followed the employee deeper into the business and continued to fire rounds,” the prosecutor claimed.
Ortega fired 24 rounds before being fatally shot six times by three responding officers.
“When officers arrived, he hadn’t started shooting. “If he had been, they would have pushed through those doors and engaged him,” Prosser said.
“When they came up to the window as you can see, they were able to see him through the window and our officer was able to take that shot.”
Because Ortega’s rifle had jammed, police were able to prevent him from causing further harm.
“Fortunately, this gentleman had a malfunction in his weapon, which actually saved this from being a mass casualty event,” Prosser told the crowd.
According to the cops, Ortega was carrying extra ammunition and magazines.
Officers arrived within minutes of receiving several 911 calls. During a press briefing, police played audio from some of the 911 calls.
In one clip, a caller says, “I believe I saw someone enter with an AR… I believe there are shots.
At this point in the investigation, Prosser stated that there is no connection between Ortega and Quinonez.
Ortega was previously charged with DUI and drug trafficking in 2013. According to court records, he completed community service for the drug charge and had his DUI dropped.
If Ortega had survived, he would have faced at least 12 charges, including one count of murder with a deadly weapon and three counts of attempted murder, according to police.
