Police have changed their timeline of how the Las Vegas massacre began on Oct. 1. Authorities revealed on Monday, that Stephen Paddock shot a hotel security guard almost six minutes before opening fire on the concert down below.
This has many questioning why police were unable to find the gunman’s location in the Mandalay Resort sooner.
Officials had previously reported that the murderer shot at Mandalay Bay security guard, Jesus Campos, after Paddock fired bullets at the concertgoers at the Route 91 Harvest Festival.
According to The Los Angeles Times, officials credited Campos, who was shot in the leg, with stopping the assault on the crowd by making Paddock turn his gaze towards the hotel hallway.
But Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo said Monday that Paddock shot Campos before his mass shooting, at 9:59 P.M., leaving officials puzzled to why Paddock stopped his attack on the crowd.
In a timeline released last week, investigators believed Paddock stopped firing at the concert across the street at 10:15 p.m. Police officers arrived to his floor at 10:17 p.m., found the wounded Campos at 10:18 p.m., who then directed the officers to Paddock’s suite.
Paddock had shot himself by the time officers entered the room, officials said.
In a news conference on Monday, Lombardo stated that “Mr. Campos was encountered by the suspect prior to his shooting to the outside world”. ‘
Police officers who started searching the hotel after the shooting began didn’t know a hotel security guard had been shot “until they met him in the hallway after exiting the elevator,” Lombardo said.
Investigators have still not uncovered a motive for Paddock’s attack and had found “zero” evidence of a second gunman. The shooter was not seen with anyone before the attack. Investigators have compiled “200 instances of the suspect moving around Las Vegas” before the shooting, and he was always alone.
The sheriff revealed that Paddock had started drilling a hole next to the door of his suite. Officials are not sure what the hole was for, but the drilling was never completed.
Lombardo also mentioned that investigators had found “some evidence of medications” used by Paddock, but declined to give any more information.