Warwickshire firefighter helped victims of Las Vegas shooting

A Warwickshire firefighter came face to face with the chaos and tragedy in Las Vegas during America's worst ever mass shooting.
Photo from Channel 4 Interview with Tony Dumbleton.Photo from Channel 4 Interview with Tony Dumbleton.
Photo from Channel 4 Interview with Tony Dumbleton.

But instead of running for safety, Tony Dumbleton’s first instinct was the help the injured, despite the danger around him.

The police in Las Vegas have named Stephen Paddock as the shooter, who killed 58 people and injured a further 500 people on Sunday evening.

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It is believed that Paddock shot down from his hotel suite at the Mandalay Bay Hotel into the crowd below, who were gathered for a music festival, before reportedly killing himself.

Tony is a firefighter for Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service.

He is based in Nuneaton but formerly worked for Leamington Fire Station as a crew commander.

Tony was out in Las Vegas with his wife to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary.

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The firefighter had walked down to the lobby of the hotel to have a cigarette when he was faced with the shocking scenes.

In an interview with Channel 4 in Las Vegas, he said: “Just as I was coming into the lobby there was people running past screaming on the phone telling people they love them, people shouting there was an active shooter, that’s as much as we knew.

“I came into the lobby, went to the door to go out and that’s when I was met with the chap who had been shot through the shoulder and was bleeding heavily and then other casualties started coming in.

“There were so many people around and there were quite a lot with bits of blood on them.

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“We came in, there was an area set up with a little bit of first aid with two very, very young girls, not sure if there was paramedics, there were just so many people.”

Tony jumped in to help the two people at the first aid area.

He said: “I helped this gentleman with his wound at the first aid with what was available and we just set up about triaging. Absolutely chaotic.

“What we were told there, was that there was two shooters, active shooters, were going around shooting. That’s as much as we knew.

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“So everyone where we were knew or was aware that there was two shooters walking around shooting at random.”

When asked whether there was any moment when he thought he shouldn’t be there and whether he should go back up to his room, Tony replied: “Yeah, briefly. But there was two of those girls, no one else.

“They were just helping as much as they could and we were just patching up, people were bleeding heavily and we were just patching up.

“Then when it calmed down slightly there was a big stampede, people started screaming.

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“People thought they (the shooters) had come back into the lobby.”

Rob Moyney, deputy chief fire officer from Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We would like to express our thanks to Tony for his actions in the terrible shooting that happened in Las Vegas last Sunday. Tony is a firefighter and crew commander at Nuneaton Fire Station and although often faced with challenging and complex situations, his bravery and actions in this instance were well beyond all expectations. We look forward to seeing Tony back in Warwickshire safe and well, and we commend Tony for his selfless actions to help others while potentially putting himself in harm’s way.”

To see the whole Channel 4 interview click here.