A North Dakota-based Native American tribal organization acquired most of a land parcel that was the site of a deadly 2017 mass shooting near the Las Vegas Strip, in a transaction reported at nearly $93 million.
Three Affiliated Tribes acquired 13 acres within a larger 15-acre site on the southern end of the Strip near Mandalay Bay resort from MGM Resorts. Las Vegas media this week reported the price at approximately $92.8 million, citing Clark County public deed filings.
The vacant former festival grounds was the site of the October 2017 mass shooting that killed 58 and caused the subsequent deaths of two others among hundreds injured, after a gunman opened fire on a music festival crowd from the 32nd floor of Mandalay Bay. It remains the nation's deadliest mass shooting on record.
MGM Resorts later designated 2 acres of the site for future development of a permanent memorial to the shooting victims. That acreage was not part of the sale, the buyer and seller announced. MGM Resorts officials said the company still plans to contribute financially toward the building of the memorial and is donating the land.
“We know the importance this location holds to so many and have always put tremendous thought into every consideration involving the site,” MGM Resorts CEO Bill Hornbuckle said in a Dec. 30 letter to employees that did not disclose a sales price. “This is no exception.”
Officials of New Town, North Dakota-based Three Affiliated Tribes, which includes the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara tribes and is also known as MHA Nation, said specific plans for the acquired land have not been determined. Tribal leaders said the group supports the building of the memorial.
“Given our culture and who we are as a people, we understand and are sympathetic to the suffering that occurred five years ago, and it is our hope that whatever is determined to be developed on the site will be positive for the Las Vegas community and the millions of visitors who go to the area annually,” MHA Nation Chairman Mark Fox said in a statement.
The tribal organization in 2020 purchased a different 8.7-acre parcel immediately east of the shooting site for $12 million, according to public records. The Vegas Strip area has several large casino, hotel and mixed-use projects in various stages of planning by several developers.