Las Vegas police now say no 6-minute gap between 1st shots and concert attack

Las Vegas Sheriff Joseph Lombardo told reporters Friday that police now agree with information released yesterday by MGM Resorts International and that Stephen Paddock shot and wounded a security guard in the Mandalay Bay hotel hallway around the same time he began to shoot at the concert crowd. 

It was the deadliest shooting in modern U.S. history.

On Monday, police had said Paddock sprayed 200 rounds into the hallway, wounding unarmed security guard Jesus Campos in the leg. They had said that six minutes later he unleashed his barrage of bullets on the festival crowd.

That six-minute gap raised questions as to whether police and hotel security could have acted more quickly to prevent casualties in the Oct. 1 attack.

Today, Lombardo said he's "not in conflict" with MGM's statement yesterday. The hotel chain, which owns the Mandalay Bay, said Thursday that no more than 40 seconds passed between the time Campos called for help and Paddock opened fire on the crowd.

The timeline of events now has 9:59 p.m. as the time Campos encountered a barricaded door adjacent to the door to Paddock's room. Lombardo said Campos then ascended to another floor in order to get to the hallway of Paddock's 32nd-floor suite. About 10:05 shots were fired through the door, wounding Campos, Lombardo said.

He said that is also the time that Paddock began his initial volley of fire from the hotel window. "No one is attempting to hide anything," Lombardo told reporters.

When police arrived on the 32nd-floor, at 10:17, Lombardo said the firing had already ceased.

45 injured still in hospital

Police said Paddock killed 58 people. Today Lombardo put the number of injured at 546, with 45 still in hospital, some with critical injuries.

Lombardo, the Clark County sheriff who oversees the Las Vegas police, also said Paddock shot "with intent" at aviation-fuel tanks at McCarran International Airport, near the Mandalay Bay hotel.

He said the airport is reviewing safety measures and has contacted experts in fuel storage, but that there's a low probability aviation fuel could be ignited by gunfire.

Lombardo told reporters that an autopsy of Paddock found nothing unusual during a visual inspection, but his brain was shipped to a facility for closer examination.

Authorities haven't determined why Paddock opened fire on the concert crowd before shooting himself. Some believed an autopsy could shed light on any medical problems that could have contributed.
 
FBI Special Agent in Charge Aaron Rouse said investigators have found no signs that Paddock had any extreme ideologies or connections with any groups.

Timeline

This timeline of the Oct. 1 mass shooting is from Reuters, based on the third version of the timeline from Las Vegas police. All times local.

9:59 p.m.

Mandalay Bay Security guard Jesus Campos, checking on an open-door alarm, encounters a barricaded door adjacent to the door of Stephen Paddock's room on the 32nd floor.

10:05 p.m.

The first shots fired by the suspect. This is seen on closed-circuit television from the concert venue. This is also around the time Campos is shot.

10:12 p.m.

The first two Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers arrive on the 31st floor and announce gunfire is coming from directly above them.

10:15 p.m.

The last shots are fired from the suspect, according to video shot by a body-worn camera.

10:17 p.m.

The first two police officers arrive on 32nd floor.

10:18 p.m.

Campos, who earlier alerted hotel security, tells police he was shot and gives them the exact location of the suspect's room.

10:26-10:30 p.m.

Eight additional officers arrive on the 32nd floor and begin to move systematically down the hallway, clearing every room and looking for any injured people. Police say they move this way because they no longer hear the gunfire of an active shooter situation.

10:55 p.m.

Eight officers arrive in the stairwell at the opposite end of the hallway nearest to the suspect's room.

11:20 p.m.

The first breach is set off and officers enter the room. They observe the suspect down on the ground and see a second door that cannot be accessed from their position.

11:27 p.m.

The second breach is set off, allowing officers to access the second room. Officers quickly realize there is no one else in the rooms and announce over the radio that the suspect is down.