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Las Vegas Shooting: Gunman Wired Thousands to Philippines Days Before Attack Las Vegas Shooting: Gunman Wired Thousands to Philippines Days Before Attack
(about 3 hours later)
LAS VEGAS — Stephen Paddock, the gunman who massacred dozens of people in Las Vegas this week, was a high-stakes gambler who wired thousands of dollars to the Philippines just days before the shooting, a federal official said.LAS VEGAS — Stephen Paddock, the gunman who massacred dozens of people in Las Vegas this week, was a high-stakes gambler who wired thousands of dollars to the Philippines just days before the shooting, a federal official said.
The authorities would not confirm to whom the transactions were intended. On Tuesday, F.B.I. agents met Marilou Danley, Mr. Paddock’s girlfriend and a “person of interest” in the case, at Los Angeles International Airport after she arrived on a flight from the Philippines.The authorities would not confirm to whom the transactions were intended. On Tuesday, F.B.I. agents met Marilou Danley, Mr. Paddock’s girlfriend and a “person of interest” in the case, at Los Angeles International Airport after she arrived on a flight from the Philippines.
Investigators said Mr. Paddock had installed at least three video cameras in his hotel suite and the hallway outside of it before the shooting, apparently to keep an eye on potential threats. But they have not yet offered a motive for his killing spree. Investigators said Mr. Paddock had installed at least three video cameras in his hotel suite and in the hallway outside of it before the shooting, apparently to keep an eye on potential threats. But they have not yet offered a motive for his killing spree.
• Mr. Paddock had bought 33 firearms in the past year, Jill A. Snyder, the special agent in charge of the San Francisco office of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said Wednesday.
• The police revised the number of victims killed on Sunday to 58. All but three of the people have been identified. These are some of their stories.• The police revised the number of victims killed on Sunday to 58. All but three of the people have been identified. These are some of their stories.
• Of the many weapons found in Mr. Paddock’s luxury hotel suite, 12 were rifles outfitted with a “bump stock,” a device that would enable them to fire hundreds of rounds per minute.• Of the many weapons found in Mr. Paddock’s luxury hotel suite, 12 were rifles outfitted with a “bump stock,” a device that would enable them to fire hundreds of rounds per minute.
• The police confirmed the authenticity of leaked photographs of the deceased gunman with a revolver by his side and of his hotel suite, showing ammunition and rifles.• The police confirmed the authenticity of leaked photographs of the deceased gunman with a revolver by his side and of his hotel suite, showing ammunition and rifles.
• President Trump is scheduled to visit Las Vegas on Wednesday. “We’re going to pay our respects and to see the police who have done really a fantastic job in a very short time,” he said as he left the White House on Wednesday with the first lady, Melania Trump.
Las Vegas police officers took cover and directed concertgoers to safety as gunshots rang out on Sunday, newly released body camera footage shows.Las Vegas police officers took cover and directed concertgoers to safety as gunshots rang out on Sunday, newly released body camera footage shows.
“Hey, you guys, get down,” one officer shouted at bystanders between volleys of gunfire. “Go that way. Get out of here. There are gunshots coming from over there. Go that way.”“Hey, you guys, get down,” one officer shouted at bystanders between volleys of gunfire. “Go that way. Get out of here. There are gunshots coming from over there. Go that way.”
But some people did not believe they were under attack and rebuffed orders to evacuate. “That’s fireworks,” one bystander shouted at officers. Another yelled expletives when told to take cover.But some people did not believe they were under attack and rebuffed orders to evacuate. “That’s fireworks,” one bystander shouted at officers. Another yelled expletives when told to take cover.
As sirens blared and gunfire crackled, the video showed, officers strained to find the source of the shots.As sirens blared and gunfire crackled, the video showed, officers strained to find the source of the shots.
“Hey, they’re shooting right at us, guys,” one officer said as he and his colleagues crouched behind a wall with their weapons drawn. “Everybody stay down, stay down.”“Hey, they’re shooting right at us, guys,” one officer said as he and his colleagues crouched behind a wall with their weapons drawn. “Everybody stay down, stay down.”
“North of the Mandalay Bay, it’s coming out of a window,” another officer says.“North of the Mandalay Bay, it’s coming out of a window,” another officer says.
The three-minute video released by the police on Tuesday was a compilation of footage from the cameras of several officers at the scene.The three-minute video released by the police on Tuesday was a compilation of footage from the cameras of several officers at the scene.
“There’s multiple people shot up there,” someone says in one clip.“There’s multiple people shot up there,” someone says in one clip.
“We see muzzle blasts from the Mandalay Bay,” someone, apparently an officer, said in another clip.“We see muzzle blasts from the Mandalay Bay,” someone, apparently an officer, said in another clip.
At least 23 firearms, including a handgun, were found in Mr. Paddock’s hotel suite, according to the police. Sheriff Joseph Lombardo of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said the gunman had used multiple rifles during the attack. Mr. Paddock, 64, had been buying weapons since 1982, Ms. Snyder of the A.T.F. said, including more than 30 in the past year. “From Oct. 2016 to Sept. 28, 2017, he purchased 33 firearms, the majority of them rifles,” Ms. Snyder told CBS on Wednesday.
A federal law enforcement official earlier said two rifles were outfitted with scopes and set up on tripods in front of two big windows. Another official said that among the weapons were AR-15-style assault rifles. Both officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to divulge details of the investigation. Asked if such purchases would set off any alarms, she clarified that the bureau would not have been alerted. The Gun Control Act of 1968 requires sellers to report the sale or disposition of two or more handguns to the same buyer, only if those purchases occur at the same time or within five business days of each other. There is no federal law requiring sellers to alert the bureau to the sale of multiple rifles.
Sheriff Lombardo said Mr. Paddock had brought at least 10 suitcases into his hotel room over a period of time. Twelve of the rifles Mr. Paddock had in his luxury suite on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino were outfitted with a “bump stock,” a device that enables a gun to fire like a machine gun, with hundreds of rounds per minute, which may explain how he was able to rain such devastation on the crowd below, law enforcement officials said.
The sheriff said Mr. Paddock had fired through his hotel room door at security guards, striking one in the leg. The guard is still alive, he said. SWAT officers went in after the guard was shot. Such devices are generally legal, and the possibility that he may have used them set off a fresh round of calls by Democratic lawmakers in Washington to pass more gun regulations after the tragedy.
In addition to the weapons at the hotel, the sheriff said, the police retrieved 19 firearms, as well as explosives, several thousand rounds of ammunition and “electronic devices” from Mr. Paddock’s home in Mesquite, Nev. Semiautomatic rifles, like those the gunman had, are made to fire a single round with each pull of the trigger. But recordings and witness accounts of the shooting made it clear that Mr. Paddock was firing much faster, at a rate comparable to that of a fully automatic weapon, which quickly fires round after round with a single pull of the finger. Undersheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas police said that Mr. Paddock fired on the concertgoers for nine to 11 minutes, in about a dozen bursts.
Mr. Paddock, 64, was described as a high-flying gambler who lived in a quiet retirement community and played golf. Officials said he had no significant criminal history and drew little attention to himself. The police have found a total of 47 firearms in his two houses and the hotel suite. Ms. Snyder said on Tuesday that almost all had been traced, and that they had been bought in Nevada, Utah, California and Texas.
Investigators are trying to piece together his financial history to search for clues that could help determine what set him off.
Mr. Paddock often bet heavily at the major casino hotels, and his girlfriend, Ms. Danley, 62, who was out of the country at the time of the shooting, had worked for some of those hotels. They lived in Mesquite, Nev., 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas, and he also owned a home in Reno.
Ms. Danley boarded a flight from Manila to Los Angeles on Tuesday, according to Antonette Mangrobang, a spokeswoman for the Philippine Immigration Bureau.Ms. Danley boarded a flight from Manila to Los Angeles on Tuesday, according to Antonette Mangrobang, a spokeswoman for the Philippine Immigration Bureau.
The authorities, who met Ms. Danley at the Los Angeles airport, have called her a “person of interest” in the shooting investigation, which does not necessarily mean that she is suspected of committing a crime. The authorities, who met Ms. Danley at the Los Angeles airport, have called her a “person of interest” in the shooting investigation, which does not necessarily mean that she is suspected of committing a crime. She was out of the country when the shooting occurred.
More than three hours after her flight came in from Manila, an airport police officer confirmed that she had been taken from the terminal through a side exit. More than three hours after her flight came in from Manila, an airport police officer confirmed that she had been taken out of the terminal through a side exit.
Ms. Danley met Mr. Paddock when she was working at a Nevada casino and he was a high-limit player, casino employees said. She worked at the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa in Reno from 2010 to 2013, according to her LinkedIn account.
John Weinreich, an executive casino host at the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa at the time, said he believed that Ms. Danley frequently attended to Mr. Paddock, serving him food and pointing out which machines might be ripe for a payout, eventually becoming his regular host. Read more about Ms. Danley here.