Terrifying new footage has been released by police which shows the moment they responded to rapid gunfire coming from a Las Vegas hotel.

Fifty-nine people were killed and over 500 were left injured after Stephen Paddock opened fire on crowds at a country music festival on Sunday night.

The 64-year-old sprayed bullets from the 32nd floor of his room at the Mandalay Bay Hotel before turning the gun on himself.

It is not yet known why he carried out the killing spree but police have since found 42 guns, explosives and thousands of rounds of ammunition.

Police officers were yelling at people to run to safety
Police officers were yelling at people to run to safety

Police responded as soon as the shots were fired and new footage recorded on bodycams by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police officers showed what they faced as they tried to gun down Paddock.

An officer can be seen hiding behind a wall near the music festival and yelling at people to "get down" before gunshots are fired.

The footage then switches to another vantage point with officers again crouching behind a wall to try and apprehend the gunman.

An officer can be heard saying "they're shooting right at guys. Everybody stay down, stay down."

Police officers crouched for safety as Paddock shot at them
Police officers crouched for safety as Paddock shot at them

In the final scenes, the wave of officers make their way closer to the Mandalay Bay Hotel with the sound of the gun shots getting louder.

People can be heard screaming and crying in the background of the harrowing footage.

Although police are yet to discover a motive, investigators have established that Paddock planned the massacre by setting up a camera in the peephole of his hotel room in an apparent attempt to spot anyone coming for him.

He also transferred 100,000 US dollars (£75,000) overseas just days before he opened fire on crowds attending the outdoor music festival.

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Las Vegas sheriff Joseph Lombardo said he is "absolutely" confident investigators will establish why the big-spending gambler carried out the attack - the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history.

"I anticipate he was looking for anybody coming to take him into custody," he said.

"The fact that he had the type of weaponry and amount of weaponry in that room, it was pre-planned extensively," the sheriff said.

"And I'm pretty sure he evaluated everything that he did and his actions, which is troublesome."

Undersheriff Kevin McMahill told reporters that Paddock also set up two cameras in the hallway outside his room so he could watch for anyone approaching.

People fleeing from the scene in Las Vegas
People fleeing from the scene in Las Vegas

He said Paddock fired on and off for nine to 11 minutes and unleashed about a dozen volleys. The first call about shots fired came in at 10.08pm and the gunfire stopped at 10.19pm.

In addition to the cameras, investigators found a computer and 23 guns in the hotel room. Officials said Paddock had devices attached to 12 weapons that allow semiautomatic rifles to mimic fully automatic gunfire.

Nineteen more guns were found at Paddock's Mesquite home and seven at his Reno house.

Authorities named the gunman's girlfriend, Marilou Danley, who was out of the country at the time of the shooting, as a "person of interest" and said the FBI would be bringing her back to the US on Wednesday for questioning.

US President Donald Trump called the gunman a "very, very sick individual" and suggested he was ready to discuss gun laws "as time goes by".

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, he called the gunman "demented" and said "we're looking into him very seriously" and praised police in Las Vegas.

Mr Trump stressed the shooting was a tragedy.

Asked about US legislation, the president said "we'll be talking about gun laws as time goes by".