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8:15 PM PT -- Police found the shooter still on campus and took him alive. According to campus police the incident began with a welfare check on a student. Officers say they found drugs and drug paraphernalia, and took the student, Hollis Daniels, into custody.

While he was at the police station, cops say Daniels pulled a gun and shot and killed an officer. It's unclear if the gun was his or belonged to an officer.

6:54 PM PT -- A campus police officer has been shot and killed. A SWAT team is currently looking for the shooter, who is described as 6 feet tall, 140 lbs with red hair and blue eyes wearing a white T and blue jeans. He reportedly fled in a vehicle.

Texas Tech University is currently on lockdown as an active shooter is reportedly on the loose.

The university's Twitter account tweeted a warning to students and faculty late Monday saying there was a shooting at the TTU Police Department, and that the shooter was at large. They also told people on campus to take shelter.

The reported shooting comes on the heels of the Vegas massacre, where shooter Stephen Paddock gunned down more than 50 people and left hundreds more injured.

Kathie Lee Gifford fell victim to a Hollywood producer who pulled the same move Harvey Weinstein allegedly did ... masturbating in front of her during a business meeting.

Kathie Lee told the tale -- which she says happened when she was in her 20s and just starting out in Hollywood. At the time, she says she was just happy she wasn't raped.

NFL legend Ronnie Lott -- along with several huge sports stars -- was evacuated from a hotel in Sonoma, CA minutes before it was engulfed in flames ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Lott, Byron Scott, Bret Saberhagen, Dan Jansen and more were all in town for the UCSF Medical Center Celebrity Golf Classic ... when the raging fires in Northern California began to spread in their direction.

The majority of the VIP guests were staying at the Fountaingrove Inn in Santa Rosa -- and when the flames began to get close, officials ordered the hotel to evacuate the guests.

We're told all of the celebrities made it out of the hotel -- including Lott who posed for a photo in the parking lot of the hotel with a friend, his wife, Karen (brunette) and ex-MLB star Saberhagen.

It's a good thing they got out when they did ... the hotel caught fire and burned down a short time later, a UCSF spokesperson confirmed to TMZ Sports.

A witness at the hotel tells us the situation escalated so quickly, one guest jumped out of the hotel window and suffered a broken arm trying to escape.

The tournament has been scrapped -- and some of the guests have already returned home ... including Byron Scott who arrived to LAX early Monday morning.

The producers of "American Horror Story: Cult" just announced they made major cuts to the opening scene depicting heavy gun violence in light of the Vegas mass shooting ... a scene we obtained.

FX Network said Monday it has "chosen to make substantial edits to the opening scene of tomorrow night's episode. This opening, which was filmed two months ago and which portrays an occurrence of gun violence that has sadly become all too common in our country, contains a sequence that some viewers might find traumatic."

The move comes just days after TMZ broke the story the show had a huge decision on its hands -- whether or not to air the crowd-ambush scene eerily similar to the Vegas shooting that killed 58 people and injured over 500 at the Route 91 Harvest Festival.

Kathy Griffin is picking up right where she left off -- rocking a Donald Trump mask onstage ... although this was not bloody.

Kathy did her first stand-up gig since the infamous photo shoot with the severed Trump head, and made a daring entrance ... wearing a Trump mask with middle fingers blazing. She also took a knee and raised her fist during an AIDS fundraiser Sunday night at L.A.'s Orpheum Theatre.

Kathy talked a little bit about the fallout from the Tyler Shields photo shoot but mostly directed her wrath at Harvey Weinstein.

It's like she never left ...

Jordin Sparks is completely taken aback by the rape allegations against Nelly, and so's the guy next to her at baggage claim ... maybe even more so.

We got the singer at LAX and broke the news to her -- Nelly was arrested for allegedly raping a woman in Washington -- and her jaw almost hits the floor. Jordin looks downright dismayed as the news sinks in ... and it leaves her at a loss for words.

Stephen Paddock was alone in his room when he carried out the mass shooting ... according to Las Vegas Metro Police.

Cops just provided an update on the mass shooting investigation and said they're confident "there was not another shooter in that room." Cops, however, are still investigating whether anyone else may have known about the attack before it was carried out.

The cops are not saying definitively there was no other shooter.

As we reported ... the FBI's already interviewed Paddock's girlfriend, and she told them she knew nothing beforehand. LV Metro Police had previously released some body cam footage of the disturbing scene.

Not sure if President Trump made things better or worse in the Puerto Rico department after an awkward/offensive attempt at a Spanish accent.

The Prez and Melania attended a White House ceremony Friday in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, and he decided to unveil an overemphasized accent to say Puerto Rico.

Considering what happened just a few days ago when he was on the hurricane-ravaged island ... ya gotta question the judgment in doing this. Although the crowd at the White House didn't seem to mind.

Yeah ... definitely made it worse.

Stephen Paddock called a Chicago hotel he had booked for Lollapalooza back in August to tell them that he wanted someone to call if, before check-in, he couldn't get a view room -- a room that overlooked the venue.

TMZ broke the story ... Paddock booked 2 rooms at the Blackstone Hotel, one on August 1 and another on August 3. The concert -- which drew a total of around 400,000 people, started on the 3rd.

Paddock booked the rooms through a third party -- Expedia. Our sources say he then called the hotel and asked for a view room. We're told the hotel does not guarantee view rooms, but for some reason in the hotel computer system there's a note that guaranteed Paddock a view room.

We're told the hotel is now trying to figure out why someone on the staff broke policy by guaranteeing him a room with a view.

It appears Paddock didn't know he got what he was after -- a guaranteed view room -- because the notes in the computer say if he couldn't get a room with a view he wanted a heads up before arriving.

Sarah Silverman is railing against the NRA and laying blame at its feet for unnecessarily dividing our country when it comes to gun control.

We got Sarah at LAX Wednesday and asked if she thinks America will finally do something about gun control following the Las Vegas massacre. Her short answer -- NO!

Here's the startling bird's-eye view Stephen Paddock would've had from the Chicago hotel he booked just days before Lollapalooza kicked off.

TMZ broke the story ... Paddock booked 2 rooms at Blackstone Hotel, located across the street from Grant Park, the festival's venue. As we reported, the hotel room had clear views of all the stages and the main entrance.

We've learned the view is from the 20th floor, taken earlier this year while the NFL draft was taking place. We're told Paddock didn't have an assigned room but specifically asked for a room with a view.

Dan Bilzerian begged cops to hand him a gun as the Las Vegas shooter sprayed bullets at concertgoers ... and it resulted in a heated confrontation.

Dan -- who flaunts his arsenal of weapons -- has been skewered on social media for running from the massacre. That's why this video is so interesting ... Dan actually wants to join forces to take down the murderer, but cops weren't having it.

Listen closely ... Dan asks a heavily armed Vegas cop for one of his guns, and the cop recoils ... he seems insulted that some random guy would dare ask him for a weapon.

Dan pulls out his wallet, appearing to show cops he has the right to pack heat, and screams, "Give me a gun!" The cop fires back, "No, get the f*** away from me right now."

Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock has a younger brother who has a warrant out for his arrest, albeit for something far less menacing ... TMZ has learned.

57-year-old Bruce Paddock is wanted in L.A. County, according to docs, and it stems from one of his laundry list of violations. Paddock was busted for vandalism in 2014 -- he jacked up a moving company's property.

Paddock pled no contest and got 150 hours of community service, but kept trying to get it reduced. When he no-show'd for a 2016 court date, the judge issued the bench warrant.

We broke the story ... Bruce has a long rap sheet, including arrests for arson, burglary and criminal threats. The vandalism is a misdemeanor, so it's unlikely cops are actively seeking him.

Lance Bass is making an impassioned plea to the FDA to end its longstanding restrictions on gay men donating blood ... saying his blood is no different from that of straight donors.

Lance told us it's a travesty gay men can't donate if they've had sex within 12 months -- especially after tragedies like the Las Vegas massacre. He added ... there's clearly a need, and the only possible reason to stick with the policy is to discriminate against the gay community.

He said so with much fewer words though. Two letters to be exact.

Lance says if America won't come to its senses on gun control, maybe it can at least remove the stigma about gay blood. He's not mincing words either, and directly calls out the American Red Cross.

Another singer, Jeffree Star, was at LAX when he echoed Lance's feelings, telling us, saving lives should outweigh bigotry.

'Twas 3 months before Christmas and way down in Turkey ...

Archaeologists claim they found where the REAL Santa Claus has been lurky.

They say St. Nick's bones are under a church ...

And they found them in a very high-tech, electronic search

The real St. Nick died in 343

Despite the fact he's always hanging at malls, near that big Xmas tree.

For the record, experts still have to confirm that it really is him.

The chances they're wrong? It's really quite slim.

So many questions have risen -- is he all by himself?

Did they bury him next to his favorite elf?

And one more question gives us pregnant pause ...

Where in the holy hell is dear Mrs. Claus?

The end?

Jay-Z is getting all his businesses in the hurricane relief game ... first his music sharing site TIDAL and now his 40/40 Club and cognac.

We've learned Jay's lending out his 40/40 Club Manhattan location Wednesday for Disaster Relief For Puerto Rico, a fundraiser for Hurricane Maria victims. In addition to the free space, comped bottles of D'Usse for the first hour -- Jay's cognac -- will be flowing for anyone who donates items or money to relief efforts. D'Usse is even throwing in free models to serve the stuff.

The invite for the 40/40 event, which is being organized by the Puerto Rican Family Institute and Big & Little Skills Academy, asks people to bring school supplies, flashlights, solar lamps and batteries. A plane will be sending the supplies from the event Thursday. In a separate effort TIDAL also is reportedly planning to fly 200,000 lbs. of supplies to the wrecked island on another plane.

Can't knock the hustle.