Shooting outside casino in Reno, Nevada, leaves 3 victims dead, 2 critically wounded

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By Steve Gorman

(Reuters) -A gunman armed with a pistol opened fire outside a casino in Reno, Nevada, on Monday, killing three people and critically wounding two others before he was shot and badly wounded by police, authorities said.

The shooting unfolded shortly before 7:30 a.m. local time at the valet station in the parking lot of the Grand Sierra Resort, a high-rise casino and hotel complex in Nevada’s third-most populous city, according to police.

The unidentified suspect was described by police only as an adult male, and the victims were apparently shot at random.

“At this time we have no reason to believe there is a connection between any of the victims and the suspect, and we have no known motive by the suspect,” said Chris Crawforth, chief of police for the neighboring town of Sparks, whose department is leading the investigation under a cooperative arrangement with the Reno Police Department.

Crawforth, speaking to reporters at an afternoon news briefing, said the suspect was seen walking through the parking lot and drew a handgun as he  approached the valet and pointed the firearm at a group of people there.

The weapon initially jammed, but the suspect got the gun working again and opened fire, shooting five people before retreating through the parking lot and trading gunfire with an armed security guard employed by the casino.

The gunman then shot a sixth victim who was driving through the parking lot moments before police officers arrived on the scene and exchanged gunshots with the suspect, wounding him and bringing the violence to an end.

Two victims shot near the valet and the motorist shot while driving through the parking lot all died, and two other gunshot victims from the valet area were hospitalized in critical condition, Crawforth said. The suspect also was listed as critical.

One Reno police officer suffered a minor injury apparently caused by glass fragments, Reno Police Chief Kathryn Nance said.

(Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Additional reporting by Bhargav Acharya in Toronto, Rich McKay in Atlanta and Jonathan Allen in New York; Editing by Doina Chiacu and Matthew Lewis)