Sheriff says Las Vegas shooter may have planned on escaping from hotel room

Mandalay Bay's sign.
(Image credit: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)

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."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.