Who is Dan Bilzerian? The 'Instagram King' caught up in the Las Vegas shooting
Controversial social media playboy flees from Mandalay Bay shooting.
Professional poker player and social media star Dan Bilzerian claims he witnessed a girl being "shot in the head" as he was caught up in the Mandalay Bay hotel shooting in Las Vegas.
He graphically describes what he observed in a short video posted to his Snapchat account: "Saw some girl get shot in the face right next to me, her brains f****** hanging out."
Gunshots can be heard in the video as he runs for cover: "It's so crazy, some kind of mass shooting. Guy had a heavy calibre weapon for sure."
He also said that he would return to the scene despite the obvious danger: "I had to go grab a gun, I'm f***** heading back."
Bilzerian, 36, is a well known pro-gun campaigner and often posts pictures of his collection of automatic weapons to his 22.7 million followers on Instagram.
Born in Tampa Bay, Florida, to a wealthy family, his father Paul a convicted financial fraudster, Bilzerian became a professional poker player following several failed attempts to join the US Navy SEALs. He claims to have won over $50m (£37.6m) while playing the game professionally.
He recently placed a $1m bet on the Floyd Mayweather/Conor McGregor fight, earning him $342,150 in winnings.
These days he is more known for his opulent social media profile, which has seen him dubbed the 'King of Instagram'. He claims his playboy lifestyle has resulted in three heart attacks, including one which he recently said occurred following a lengthy cocaine and Viagra binge.
In 2015, Bilzerian made an unusual bid to become US president but dropped out to support Donald Trump's campaign a few months later.
Bilzerian is believed to spend his time between his residences in Hollywood Hills, California and also Las Vegas, the scene of the Mandalay Bay shooting, which is the worst mass shooting in modern US history.
Over 50 people were killed after the gunman, believed to be 64-year-old Stephen Paddock, fired on a crowd gathered for the Route 91 Harvest country music festival being held in the city.
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