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Casino Shootings Leave Three Dead, Twelve Wounded

The Saturday violence occurred during a weekend gathering of motorcycle groups, including the Hells Angels and the Mongols.

Police said gunfire erupted when a Mongol member walked into a group of Hells Angels. Sixty to 70 people, armed with guns and knives, were involved in the fight inside the entrance to Harrah's casino, authorities said.

All three of the dead were bikers, police said. One person was arrested and police had recovered several guns. About 200 people were detained for interviews, said Lieut. Vince Cannito of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, which patrols the Colorado River gambling resort 130 kilometres southeast of Las Vegas.

Authorities also warned of the danger for further violence.

``The rumours of retaliation have already hit the street,'' said Larry Tunforss, spokesman for the fire department in Bullhead City, Ariz., which is across the river from Laughlin.

``Our police department is beefing up intensely. There's a definite concern of further incidents.''

SWAT teams and law enforcement officers from across Arizona and Nevada were called in.

The shooting occurred during the 20th annual Laughlin River Run, a motorcycle gathering which brought up to 80,000 people into the resort town of about 8,000 residents and nine casinos. It attracts about five million visitors annually.

Authorities locked down the city after the violence erupted shortly after 2 a.m. local time Saturday, temporarily closing bridges over the Colorado River. The routes were reopened later in the morning.

By late Saturday, a mellow, festive mood had returned with thousands gathering to listen to a concert by The Doobie Brothers, while others admired motorcycles as they paraded up and down the strip.

``It's been a good rally, other than this shooting,'' said Lynn Davis, a motorcycle enthusiast from Pagosa Springs, Colo., who is on his second visit to the festival.

John Davidson, 39, ducked beneath a blackjack table during the melee.

``There were shell casings landing right by us,'' he said. ``I had to pull the dealer down. She was screaming.''

University Medical Center in Las Vegas was treating five patients, three of whom were in serious condition with gunshot and stab wounds. Of the other two, one was in critical condition with a skull fracture and the other was in fair condition with gunshot and stab wounds.

Western Arizona Regional Medical Center in Bullhead City treated seven fight victims. Four were in fair condition and three had been released.

Authorities were also investigating the death of a biker whose body was found along Interstate 40, a main route between Laughlin and Southern California.

The man's body was found near Ludlow, a small California desert town about 100 kilometres from the Arizona border.

Preliminary reports indicate the man, from San Diego, had been shot while riding his bike and was a member of a motorcycle club, San Bernardino County Sheriff's spokesman Chip Patterson said.

It was not immediately known if the death was related to the casino shooting.

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