MGM Resorts sells land that was site of Las Vegas massacre

LAS VEGAS (AP) — MGM Resorts International has closed on the sale of land on the Las Vegas Strip that was the site of the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, the company announced Friday.

CEO and President Bill Hornbuckle disclosed the news to his staff in a letter Friday.

The 15-acre Village property was purchased by the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation based in central North Dakota.

Concertgoers at the Route 91 Harvest Festival gathered there on Oct. 1, 2017, when a gunman opened fire from his hotel room above. He killed 58 people. Two more died later of their injuries. More than 850 people were hurt by the time the gunfire stopped.

The site has remained unused and largely unchanged since the shooting.

Last August, MGM Resorts donated two acres on the northeast corner of the property for the permanent memorial after a survey conducted by Clark County found that a majority of respondents wanted the tribute built at the site of the shooting.

Planning for the memorial has been underway since late 2019, but it could be years before the final tribute is unveiled.

The sale does not include the two acres.

Hornbuckle says he knows the location means a great deal to many. But the Tribes “have demonstrated that they care about our community, its future and, of course, its past,” he wrote.

The Three Affiliated Tribes is made up of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation. They are also known as the MHA Nation.

Representatives for the Tribes did not immediately return a message from The Associated Press seeking comment.