When a young Queenslander travelled overseas to meet aunt Marilou Delaney – and her partner for the first time – he was left with an impression of an ‘unremarkable’ man.
Little did Jordan Knights know that in a few short months, his aunt’s live-in partner Stephen Paddock would be responsible for the worst mass shooting in US history.
As he backpacked across American with his mother Amelia Manango, the two made a short stop in Las Vegas to meet his mother’s sister – Ms Danley.
Jordan Knights met gunman Stephen Paddock a few months ago and found him ‘unremarkable’
Jordan Knights (right) met with his aunt Marilou Danley (second from right) a few months ago
Jordan Knights’ maternal aunt is Marilou Danley, partner of Las Vegas gunman Steven Paddock
After dining out together and splashing out at some of Vegas’ most famous casinos,the 23-year-old bid Paddock and Ms Danley farewell.
He told 9News on Tuesday that ‘it seemed like he just looked after my aunty and that was it’, and got no bad feelings from the man.
Paddock left no lasting impression on Mr Knights, and the young Aussie didn’t give his aunt’s partner another thought until Monday evening.
Ms Danley’s partner Stephen Paddock is responsible for the worst mass shooting in US history
Paddock rented a room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel and opened fire on crowds
His social media pages alerted him to the massacre, and when he turned on the TV, he immediately recognised Paddock’s name and later, his photo.
‘Yeah once I saw that part on the news…I was like, what the heck. It was crazy,’ Mr Knights said.
He added that he got no impression that Paddock was the ‘type of guy’ to gun down more than 50 people and injure 500 more.
Paddocks gunned down more than 50 people and injured 500 more on Monday night in Vegas
Tributes have been laid for the victims, and memorial services are being held on the Strip
Furthermore, he has said that he didn’t even know that Paddock knew anything about firearms.
But he has emphasised his conviction that his aunt, Ms Danley, was not involved.
Ms Danley has reportedly made contact with various family members from the Philippines, where she was travelling at the time of the massacre.
Ms Danley’s nephew is certain that his aunt had nothing to do with the Las Vegas massacre
Ms Danley was not in America at the time of the shooting, but was on holiday in the Philippines
Paddock shared a Reno house with Ms Danley, on which police are executing a search warrant
Las Vegas police confirmed that Ms danley was not in Las Vegas at the time of the shootings and at this time, they do not consider her an accomplice.
Ms Danley has spoken with her sister, Ms Manango, who revealed that Mrs Danley’s trip was paid for by Paddock.
Ms Danley will be questioned by police upon her return, and will most likely be asked if she knew about the cache of weapons reportedly found inside the home she shared with Paddock.