A representative for the hotel management group that operates the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino has released a statement that strongly implies disagreement with the latest police timeline of events last Sunday night, when Stephen Paddock opened fire on a crowd of thousands attending the Route 91 Harvest Festival. The shooting massacre claimed 58 lives and injured nearly 500 people.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo held a news conference on Monday in which he shared new information that dramatically changed the previously reported timeline of events. The sheriff said that Paddock shot and injured Mandalay Bay security guard Jesus Campos six minutes before he began shooting from the window of his hotel room on the 32nd floor. Previously, authorities believed that Campos was shot after Paddock’s massacre had begun, and that his presence in the 32nd floor hallway prompted the gunman to stop shooting at the crowd below.
On Tuesday, Crime Online contacted MGM Resorts, which operates Mandalay Bay, with several questions regarding the latest information. Due to the ongoing investigation, representatives were not able to answer specific questions but shared a statement Tuesday evening from MGM Resorts Spokesperson Debra DeShong.
It reads, in full:
“This remains an ongoing investigation with a lot of moving parts. As evidenced by law enforcement briefings over the past week, many facts are still unverified and continue to change as events are under review. We cannot be certain about the most recent timeline that has been communicated publically, and we believe what is currently being expressed may not be accurate.
We understand the public’s desire for information and the importance of getting our community and the public at large the information they deserve, and we are doing everything we can to support law enforcement’s efforts to do so. Therefore, it is not appropriate for us to comment further at this time on what remains an open matter for law enforcement.”
An MGM Resorts representative did not respond to a follow-up inquiry asking for specifics about the possible inaccuracy in the most recent timeline.
Earlier Tuesday, CBS News reported that a law enforcement source confirmed that Paddock had entered a freight elevator at some point during his stay prior to the shooting. The gunman was found shot to death in his room when police breached the room about an hour after the shooting ended.
[Feature image: Associated Press]
