Video Shows How Las Vegas Mass Shooter Lived Week Before Massacre
LAS VEGAS (CBSNewYork) -- Newly released surveillance video from Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay resort shows how mass shooting gunman Stephen Paddock spent the week counting down to the deadly attack on a music festival that left 58 people dead and hundreds wounded last October.
The 64-year-old gunman, who took his life after attacking the unsuspecting crowd at the Route 91 Harvest festival on the Las Vegas Strip, reportedly stuck to a mundane routine, driving back to his home in Mesquite, Nevada, to collect more luggage and bring it back to his reserved suites on the 32nd floor.
Paddock also stopped at The Ogden condominium complex, about 6 miles from the hotel, and in total brought 21 suitcases, two small bags, a laptop bag and a white container to his room. Much of the equipment was brought into the hotel by bellmen.
When not loading gear, the video shows Paddock in the valet area, elevators, restaurants, gambling floors and hallways -- gambling and eating like any other guest in the resort.
According to the New York Times, which acquired the video, the gunman appears to know many employees, with whom he shares smiles, friendly nods and handshakes.
"In the interest of providing greater context around Stephen Paddock's actions in the days leading up to October 1, MGM Resorts has released these security videos and images," said Debra DeShong, a spokesperson for MGM Resorts International. "As the security footage demonstrates, Stephen Paddock gave no indication of what he planned to do and his interactions with staff and overall behavior were all normal.
"MGM and Mandalay Bay could not reasonably foresee that a long-time guest with no known history of threats or violence and behaving in a manner that appeared outwardly normal, would carry out such an inexplicably evil, violent and deadly act," she said. "Our focus continues to be on supporting victims and their families, our guests and employees, and cooperating with law enforcement with their ongoing investigation."
Police say after launching the shooting attack on Oct. 1, 2017, Paddock killed himself in his hotel suite. A week after the shooting, police found a note in the gunman's hotel room with calculations about where he needed to aim to kill as many people as possible.
An autopsy report - released in response to a lawsuit by The Associated Press and the Las Vegas Review-Journal - showed Paddock had anti-anxiety drugs in his system but was not under the influence of them.
