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LAS VEGAS — A $30 cover charge led to a nightclub shooting early Monday on the Las Vegas Strip that left one patron dead when he tried to subdue the gunman and two employees in critical condition, officials said.

A man opened fire about 5:45 a.m. wounding a manager and a guard at Drai’s After Hours, a club at Bally’s hotel-casino, police Sgt. John Sheahan said. Another guard might have been injured.

Sheahan said the nightclub was open at the time and the shooter was believed to have acted alone. He was hospitalized with unspecified injuries.

Sheahan said the male patron was fatally wounded trying to subdue the gunman as people ran from the club.

“The person is in custody. The weapon is in custody,” Sheahan said. “There are no outstanding suspects in this incident.”

Three people were taken by ambulance to University Medical Center, where spokeswoman Danita Cohen said one died and two remained in critical condition.

Their names weren’t immediately made public.

Sheahan said the gunman is expected to face murder and multiple attempted murder charges.

Authorities said he paid the cover charge then demanded his money back before opening fire.

The club has a capacity of about 500 people and charges $30 for entry, said Celena Haas-Stacey, a spokeswoman for Bally’s hotel owner Caesars Entertainment Corp.