Sheriff says Las Vegas shooter may have planned on escaping from hotel room
Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo gave an update Wednesday night on the investigation into Sunday's mass shooting in Las Vegas, providing a more detailed list of the weapons found inside Stephen Paddock's room at the Mandalay Bay resort and at his homes, revising the number of injured in the massacre, and revealing that Paddock may have wanted to escape before police could find him.
Lombardo said Paddock, 64, "meticulously planned on the worst domestic attack in United States history" and "evaluated everything he did." Paddock checked into the Mandalay Bay resort with 10 bags that carried at least 23 guns, including high-power rifles. Those weapons were all purchased in Nevada, California, Texas, and Utah, Lombardo said. Inside his car, left in the hotel's valet parking area, officers found explosive materials, and at his home in Mesquite, Nevada, law enforcement discovered 19 firearms and more explosive materials. At his Reno house, they found five handguns, two shotguns, and a "plethora of ammunition."
Paddock "spent decades acquiring weapons and ammo and lived a secret life much of which will never be fully understood," Lombardo said. He also revealed that there was evidence Paddock may have planned on trying to escape from his room on the 32nd floor of the hotel, but did not elaborate, and said it wasn't out of the realm of possibility that Paddock had assistance gathering his weapons. He noted that Paddock's location was discovered at 10:18 p.m. by an unarmed Mandalay Bay security guard, who gave police the exact location of the room; Paddock fired 200 rounds into the hallway, aiming at the guard, who survived. While the death toll stands at 59, the number of injured has been revised downward to 489 people, and 317 have been released from the hospital.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
The Spanish cop, 20 million euros and 13 tonnes of cocaine
In the Spotlight Óscar Sánchez Gil, Chief Inspector of Spain's Economic and Tax Crimes Unit, has been arrested for drug trafficking
By The Week UK Published
-
5 hilarious cartoons about the rise and fall of Matt Gaetz
Cartoons Artists take on age brackets, backbiting, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The future of X
Talking Point Trump's ascendancy is reviving the platform's coffers, whether or not a merger is on the cards
By The Week UK Published
-
DOJ demands changes at 'abhorrent' Atlanta jail
Speed Read Georgia's Fulton County Jail subjects inmates to 'unconstitutional' conditions, the 16-month investigation found
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
China tries to bury deadly car attack
Speed Read An SUV drove into a crowd of people in Zhuhai, killing and injuring dozens — but news of the attack has been censored
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Menendez brothers may go free in LA prosecutor plan
Speed Read Prosecutors are asking for the brothers to be resentenced for the 1989 murder of their parents
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Abercrombie ex-CEO charged with sex crimes
Speed Read Mike Jeffries ran the brand during its heyday from 1992 to 2014
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump criminal trial starts with rulings, reminder
Speed Read The first day of his historic trial over hush money payments was mostly focused on jury selection
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Parents of school shooter sentenced to 10-15 years
Speed Read Jennifer and James Crumbley are the first parents to be convicted in a US mass shooting
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Unlicensed dealers and black market guns
Speed Read 68,000 illegally trafficked guns were sold in a five year period, said ATF
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Bankman-Fried gets 25 years for fraud
Speed Read Former "crypto king" Sam Bankman-Fried will report to federal prison
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published