Video: Police inspect wires, weapons in Vegas shooter's room

<p>Las Vegas police used explosives to blast into a high-rise hotel suite where a gunman unleashed the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history and found him dead.</p>

News 12 Staff

May 3, 2018, 10:30 PM

Updated 2,183 days ago

Share:

By KEN RITTER and MICHAEL BALSAMO
Associated Press
LAS VEGAS (AP) - Las Vegas police used explosives to blast into a high-rise hotel suite where a gunman unleashed the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history and found him dead, with a cache of assault-style weapons and broken windows that had a view of a concert venue killing field, according to police body-camera videos.
Hours of footage released Wednesday from two officers' body-worn cameras showed what some of the first officers uncovered when they got to the room but didn't provide new information about the motive for the rampage.
Police say Stephen Paddock killed 58 people and injured hundreds more on Oct. 1 when he unleashed gunfire from his Mandalay Bay suite onto a crowd below before killing himself as authorities closed in.
The videos show officers walking into the casino that was still packed with people playing slot machines and drinking beer - unaware that gunfire had been raining down on an outdoor concert from 32 floors up.
"You need to get everybody out of here," an officer tells two Mandalay Bay security guards. "There's a shooter up there. He's killed multiple people already."
The video shows officers methodically checking rooms on floors 29, 30 and 31 before getting to Paddock's room on the 32nd. An officer says, "Breach! Breach! Breach!" before a loud bang and a fire alarm begins to sound.
Inside, Paddock's body is seen on his back, clad in dark pants and a long-sleeve shirt with a glove on his left hand. A pool of blood stains the carpet near his head as a police SWAT officer walks past.
Officers in the videos mentioned the number of firearms scattered around the room, one saying there were at least 10 high-powered weapons.
"Did he have any scoped weapons over there?" an officer asked. "Oh yeah," another replied.
Others talked about Paddock "blasting out the window" and pointed to "a whole suitcase full of loaded AK mags," referring to ammunition magazines for an AK-47 rifle.
Officers are seen looking behind curtains, and one grabbed an assault-style rifle from the ledge of a broken window. An officer told others to watch where they were stepping.
"I don't know what that is, but there's a wire there," the officer said. He then turned toward the room's door and said, "He put cameras up on the peepholes and all that. That's what these wires are."
An officer said the attacker "has an intricate camera system set up ... so he knew when officers were coming down the hallway."
The videos also record officers talking about whether there was evidence of a second shooter and finding Paddock's driver's license. Police and the FBI later said they believe the 64-year-old former accountant and high-stakes video poker player acted alone.
The footage does not show what the first officer through the door saw because he didn't activate his body-worn camera. The disclosure by police lawyers late Tuesday raised questions about whether officers followed department policy.
A police spokeswoman, Carla Alston, said Wednesday that no one in the agency would comment about the videos, whether the first officer followed proper procedure by not turning on his camera or whether he had been disciplined for violating policies.
The department requires officers with body cameras to activate them during calls that lead to interaction with residents and searches.
The newly released videos, totaling 2½ hours, are a sample of hundreds of hours of body-camera recordings and do not provide a complete view of everything police discovered when they entered Paddock's suite.
The Associated Press and other media outlets sued to obtain videos, 911 recordings, evidence logs and interview reports to shed light on the response by public agencies, emergency workers and hotel officials while Paddock fired for more than 10 minutes.
The police investigation is not finished, Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo told reporters Tuesday, saying he believed releasing the footage would "further traumatize a wounded community."
"For that, we apologize," said the elected head of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. "What is seen on those videos in no way changes the facts that we were able to clarify for you shortly after the crime."
Lombardo referred to a preliminary police report released Jan. 19 that said Paddock meticulously planned the attack, researched police SWAT tactics, rented hotel rooms overlooking outdoor concerts and investigated potential targets in at least four U.S. cities.
Police department lawyers had told a judge it would be time-consuming and costly to comply with the media outlets' public records requests and said the materials could disclose investigative techniques.
But the Nevada Supreme Court last week upheld a state judge's ruling that the records must be made public. Lombardo said Tuesday that the department would release more recordings in batches in coming weeks.
___
Balsamo reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press reporters Michelle L. Price and Regina Garcia Cano in Las Vegas and Stephen Valdivia in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


More from News 12
2:16
‘One of our worst corridors in terms of accidents.’ Goal Zero aims to make Route 9 safer

‘One of our worst corridors in terms of accidents.’ Goal Zero aims to make Route 9 safer

1:14
Plenty of sunshine today with cooler temps for New Jersey; freeze watch until Friday

Plenty of sunshine today with cooler temps for New Jersey; freeze watch until Friday

1:44
NJ Transit rail service into and out of Penn Station New York now operating on or close to schedule

NJ Transit rail service into and out of Penn Station New York now operating on or close to schedule

1:53
Shop Mother’s Day Gifts – Exclusive Offers Up to 75% OFF!

Shop Mother’s Day Gifts – Exclusive Offers Up to 75% OFF!

0:25
4 kittens left outside in the cold in front of Humane Society in Plainfield

4 kittens left outside in the cold in front of Humane Society in Plainfield

1:38
PSE&G celebrates Take Your Child to Work Day

PSE&G celebrates Take Your Child to Work Day

0:30
NJ Forest Fire Service: 510-acre wildfire in Wharton State Forest now 100% contained

NJ Forest Fire Service: 510-acre wildfire in Wharton State Forest now 100% contained

0:05
Baseball's oldest living major leaguer, former Yankee Art Schallock, is turning 100

Baseball's oldest living major leaguer, former Yankee Art Schallock, is turning 100

1:50
Threatening message found at Dwight-Englewood middle school

Threatening message found at Dwight-Englewood middle school

2:27
How to protect spring plants from frost and freeze

How to protect spring plants from frost and freeze

0:24
New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial

New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial

0:25
Asbury Park man sentenced to 40 years in prison for 2021 home invasion, sex assault

Asbury Park man sentenced to 40 years in prison for 2021 home invasion, sex assault

0:26
Union police searching for missing 60-year-old man last seen at Whole Foods parking lot

Union police searching for missing 60-year-old man last seen at Whole Foods parking lot

0:24
Fanwood police warn of possible concert ticket scams on Facebook

Fanwood police warn of possible concert ticket scams on Facebook

2:16
Law enforcement resumes search in Manorville in connection with Gilgo Beach case

Law enforcement resumes search in Manorville in connection with Gilgo Beach case

0:36
New Jersey Instagram fraudster 'Jay Mazini' sentenced for his crypto scheme that preyed on Muslims

New Jersey Instagram fraudster 'Jay Mazini' sentenced for his crypto scheme that preyed on Muslims

Ready to explore the great outdoors? These 14 tips can help you stay safe while hiking

Ready to explore the great outdoors? These 14 tips can help you stay safe while hiking

Your Road Trip Close to Home adventure guide for April 25

Your Road Trip Close to Home adventure guide for April 25

1:13
The East End: Shou Sugi Ban House in Watermill

The East End: Shou Sugi Ban House in Watermill

0:56
Passaic to get $1.6M in federal funds to reduce flash flooding where 2 people died

Passaic to get $1.6M in federal funds to reduce flash flooding where 2 people died