Sheriff says Paddock shot security guard before opening fire on festival
Las Vegas police released new details Monday about what occurred in the days and minutes before the mass shooting on the Strip, raising new questions about why it took about an hour for officers to enter the gunman’s hotel suite.
Six minutes before Mandalay Bay shooter Stephen Paddock sprayed gunfire onto the Route 91 Harvest festival grounds on Oct. 1, he shot hotel security guard Jesus Campos, Sheriff Joe Lombardo revealed Monday.
The sheriff said last week that Campos was injured well after 58 people had been fatally shot and nearly 500 others were hurt. But after revealing the new timeline Monday during a news conference, Lombardo offered little explanation for the discrepancy, citing the ongoing investigation.
“In your zest for information and my zest to ensure the public safety and the calming of their minds,” Lombardo said, “some things are going to change.”
Lombardo also revealed that Paddock checked in to Mandalay Bay on Sept. 25, three days earlier than previously reported.
The motive behind the shooting continues to perplex authorities.
“We have no evidence or intelligence that the suspect was linked (to) or had affiliations with any known terrorist groups or ideologies,” Lombardo said.
Prior to the mass shooting, Paddock had traveled throughout Las Vegas more than 200 times, the sheriff added. Still, investigators are struggling to understand him.
His mental health remains a large question, and based on the investigation so far, the sheriff said no single event in Paddock’s life seemed to contribute to a motive.
Pivoting to the broader investigation, Lombardo also bluntly shut down conspiracy theories about multiple suspects.
“We have uncovered no evidence to show there was a second shooter,” he said.
He also noted that the explosives found in Paddock’s car in the hotel garage were not configured for remote detonation.
“We do not know whether he had planned to cause additional harm outside of what occurred at Mandalay Bay,” Lombardo said.
Paddock’s brother Eric is in Las Vegas and is cooperating with authorities, the sheriff confirmed. But the sheriff refused to disclose any details about their conversations.
Lombardo said authorities continue to speak with Paddock’s girlfriend, Marilou Danley, “about the suspect’s movements, gun purchases and anything else we need to know about him and how he planned his assault.”
The sheriff added that police will continue to comb through Paddock’s Mandalay Bay room and the Route 91 site for at least a week.
Federal investigators and Las Vegas police also are revisiting Paddock’s homes in Mesquite and Reno, he said.
Contact Rachel Crosby at rcrosby@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-8135. Follow @rachelacrosby. Contact Blake Apgar at bapgar@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5298. Follow @blakeapgar on Twitter.