Country music singer Jason Aldean was performing on stage when suspected gunman Stephen Paddock opened fire on more than 22,000 people at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival late Sunday night in Las Vegas.
The suspect, 64-year-old Stephen Paddock, rained fire on concertgoers from a 32nd-floor window at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, where he'd been staying since Thursday, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police.
Aldean, headliner on the final day of the three-day festival, had just taken the stage and had started singing "When She Says Baby" when shots rang out. It took several seconds before Aldean and his band realized what was happening.
Aldean, who can be seen in a YouTube video running off the stage, called the night "beyond horrific," Fox News reported. Aldean and his crew made it safely off stage.
The shooting left more than 55 dead and more than 500 were transported to area hospitals, according to Las Vegas authorities.
The singer took to Instagram Monday asking people to "Pray for Las Vegas."
The 40-year-old Aldean, born in Macon, Georgia, has been one of the biggest stars in country music since the release of his self-titled debut album in 2005, NPR reported. The singer of dozens of country hits, Aldean's three most recent albums, including 2016's "They Don't Know," have reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Aldean was also named, for the second consecutive year, as entertainer of the year at the Academy of Country Music Awards in April.
Aldean is scheduled to headline a hurricane relief benefit Country Rising on Nov. 12 at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena.
