Las Vegas police on Wednesday released some officer body-camera video from the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
The footage shows the tense moments when a group of heavily armed SWAT officers entered the 32nd-floor hotel room at the Mandalay Bay where Stephen Paddock unleashed gunfire on a concert last October.
Police and the FBI have said he killed 58 people and injured hundreds more before killing himself as authorities closed in.
The footage will not show what the first officer through the door saw because he didn’t activate his body-worn camera.
Las Vegas police on Wednesday released some officer body-camera video from the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history
The footage shows the tense moments when a group of heavily armed SWAT officers entered the 32nd-floor hotel room at the Mandalay Bay where Stephen Paddock unleashed gunfire on a concert last October
In the video a loud bang is heard before officers slowly move into the room where Paddock was staying
The newly released videos represent a sample of hundreds of hours of body-camera recordings that don’t answer why Paddock opened fire, Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo told reporters Tuesday
The footage will not show what the first officer through the door saw because he didn’t activate his body-worn camera
The room is dimly lit. The video does not show Paddock or his extensive arsenal of weapons that were later found in his room
The Associated Press and other media outlets sued to obtain videos, 911 recordings, evidence logs and interview reports
In October, just days after the shooting, police released body cam footage showing Paddock’s dead body after he took his own life
Paddock appears to have shot himself in the head after committing the massacre
That disclosure by police lawyers late Tuesday raises questions about whether officers followed department policy.
The newly released videos represent a sample of hundreds of hours of body-camera recordings that don’t answer why Paddock opened fire, Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo told reporters Tuesday.
Police and the FBI have said they believe Paddock, a 64-year-old former accountant and high-stakes video poker player, acted alone.
The police investigation was not finished, said Lombardo, who oversees the department and called the preparation and release of documents sought by the media a ‘monumental task’ that would divert resources from police work.
Police and the FBI have said they believe Paddock, a 64-year-old former accountant and high-stakes video poker player, acted alone
Paddock broke two windows in his Mandalay Bay hotel room on Sunday, and then opened fire on 22,000 attending a concert across the street. Fifty-nine people were killed and 527 injured
Photos leaked days after the shooting show several assault rifles strewn across the room, which is littered with spent bullet casings. Behind the pillar above, neat piles of stacked magazines are seen
‘What is seen on those videos in no way changes the facts that we were able to clarify for you shortly after the crime,’ he said.
Lombardo referred to a preliminary police report released January 19 that said Paddock meticulously planned the attack, researched police SWAT tactics, rented hotel rooms overlooking outdoor concerts and investigated potential targets in at least four U.S. cities.
The sheriff’s top spokeswoman, Carla Alston, said Wednesday that no one in the agency would comment about whether the first officer through the door followed proper procedure by not activating his camera or whether he had been disciplined for violating policies.
The Police Department requires officers to activate body cameras during calls that lead to interaction with residents and searches.
The Associated Press and other media outlets sued to obtain videos, 911 recordings, evidence logs and interview reports.
Lombardo said the department would release more records in batches in coming weeks.
‘We believe the release of the graphic footage will further traumatize a wounded community. For that, we apologize,’ he said.