Two people were killed and eight were injured in a stabbing in front of a Strip casino Thursday.
Police received reports of the stabbing on the 3100 block of Las Vegas Boulevard, South, just after 11:40 a.m., according to Metropolitan Police Department Capt. Dori Koren.
One person was detained and several people were taken to nearby hospitals, including three who were listed in critical condition, Koren said.
A spokesman for University Medical Center said five people were taken to the hospital. One died after getting to the hospital, one was critically wounded and two others were in serious condition.
A large kitchen knife was found at the scene, Koren said.
“There is not a safety issue at this time,” Koren said. “We will open up the street as soon as we can.”
Pierre Fandrich, a French-speaking tourist from Montreal, said he was near a pedestrian bridge outside Wynn Las Vegas when he saw a group of three to four showgirls on the Wynn side of the pedestrian bridge.
“He thought it was laughing at first but then he heard it was screaming, actually,” said another Montreal tourist, Maxime Wallace, who translated for Fandrich.
“There was one showgirl on the ground,” Fandrich said through the translator. “There was another showgirl on top of her, trying to help her friend. She seemed to be stabbed in the back, but she didn’t notice because she was helping the other showgirl.”
Fandrich said he did not see the suspect, but about 100 feet from the girls another person was on the ground suffering from injuries on the bridge.
“There was a lot of blood on the ground,” Fandrich said through Wallace.
Video provided to the Review-Journal showed two women in bright-red showgirl dresses being taken to ambulances in stretchers rolled down Las Vegas Boulevard.
A spokesman for nearby Fashion Show Mall said the mall was not affected by the stabbing, and Wynn officials deferred to Metro for information.
Spring Mountain Road and Sands Avenue were closed near Las Vegas Boulevard while officers investigated.
———
