More details regarding the Las Vegas shooting are beginning to be revealed. In documents it is reported that gunman Stephen Paddock went to great lengths to plan and prevent an investigation after his attack at the Rt. 91 Harvest Festival.
Fifty eight people were killed and more than 500 injured when Paddock opened fire from the 32nd floor of his Mandalay Bay hotel room. After minutes of shooting victims he turned the gun on himself.
According to reports from the New York Times, Paddock tried to hide and destroy as much information as possible and used at least three cell phones, including one prepaid phone in his planning of the attack. Other information that is coming forth from documents also states that he used anonymous communication, though no co-conspirators have been found, to keep his plan secret and to throw off an investigation.
The motive is still not known and the F.B.I. has not been able to unlock any of the cell phones used that may hold more clues about any conspiracy. Paddock did spend the 12 months prior to Oct. 1 online purchasing weapons and ammunition that were used in the attack. Glass cutters, suit cases, a gas mask and body armor were just some of the items that the police found in his hotel room after the attack.
Paddock’s girlfriend, Marilou Danley remains a pivotal person in the investigation. They hope she can shed more light on the motive and the mental state of the shooter leading up to the deadly attack. She has not been charged, but she did tell authorities that they’d find her fingerprints on his ammunition, as she would occasionally help him load magazines. According to the Times, “the F.B.I. said there was no evidence that she knew of his plans or had been deceptive, but it cautioned soon after the shootings that she was still the ‘subject of intensive review.'” Danley, who was out of the country visiting family in the Philippines at the time of the shooting, also revealed to the police that Paddok’s mental and physical health were deteriorating.
Danley’s social media has come under investigation after it was found out that she made her Facebook page private at 12:30am, about 2.5 hours after the first bullets started to rain over the crowd at the country music festival. At 2:46am she deleted her Facebook page entirely, even though Paddock’s name was not revealed as the shooter until 3:30am. Authorities have also found that Paddock and Danley exchanged emails regarding the bump stock that was used in the shooting.
“Investigators have been unable to figure out why Paddock would be exchanging messages related to weapons that were used in the attack between two of his email accounts,” documents read.
The information was attained from unsealed documents on Friday (1/12) and include several hundred pages, including more than a dozen search warrants and affidavits. A U.S. judge in Nevada ordered the unsealing in response to a lawsuit filed by several media outlets, despite requests from law enforcement agencies that they remain sealed.
