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U.S. NEWSFriday 23 March 2018
Hotel video shows Vegas gunman 'normal' before mass shooting
By KEN RITTER Strip. In this Sept. 25, 2017, security camera image released by MGM Resorts, Stephen Paddock stands
Associated Press "Paddock gave no indica- with his luggage in an elevator at the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas. The newly released video
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Hotel tion of what he planned to shows the man who killed 58 people on the Las Vegas Strip moving around a casino before the
surveillance video from the do and his interactions with attack, gambling, bringing suitcases into his room at Mandalay Bay but doing nothing that would
days before the deadliest staff and overall behavior obviously raise suspicions.
mass shooting in modern were all normal," company
U.S. history, made public spokeswoman Debra De- (MGM Resorts via AP)
Thursday, shows the gun- Shong said in a statement.
man as an unremarkable "MGM and Mandalay Bay
Las Vegas hotel guest and could not reasonably fore-
casino patron. see that a long-time guest
Footage provided by with no known history of
MGM Resorts International threats or violence and be-
shows Stephen Paddock having in a manner that
interacting with Mandalay appeared outwardly nor-
Bay resort staff members, mal, would carry out such
wheeling suitcases toward an inexplicably evil, violent
elevators and pulling his and deadly act," she said.
Dodge Caravan into the Clark County Sheriff Joe
hotel valet. Lombardo and Las Vegas
It offers no outward sign police did not immediate-
that Paddock would carry ly respond to requests for
out the Oct. 1 shooting that comment.
killed 58 people and injured The 32 video clips, first ob-
hundreds at an outdoor tained by The New York
concert on the Las Vegas Times , offer no motive for
the 64-year-old Paddock eral times, buying snacks,
opening fire with assault- stepping into elevators,
style rifles from a 32nd-floor driving into the valet area
suite into a concert audi- and accompanying hotel
ence of 22,000 people. employees wheeling carts
They show Paddock check- with his suitcases.
ing in at the Mandalay Bay Videos suggest that em-
on Sept. 25, gambling at ployees had no indication
high-limit video poker sev- what was in the suitcases.q
Prosecutor: Kansas militia
wanted to kill immigrants
By ROXANA HEGEMAN in Kansas, not in America,"
Associated Press prosecutor Risa Berkower
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Three said in her opening state-
militia members plotted ment.
for months to blow up an The three men were in-
apartment complex hous- dicted in October 2016 af-
ing Somali immigrants in ter a militia member, Dan
western Kansas, saying that Day, became alarmed
they wanted to "extermi- and contacted the FBI. He
nate cockroaches," a fed- agreed to wear a wire and
eral prosecutor said Thurs- recorded profanity-laced
day at the start of their trial. conversations among the
Gavin Wright, Patrick men that led to their arrest.
Stein and Curtis Allen are The government plans to
charged with conspiracy present evidence that the
to use a weapon of mass men manufactured home-
destruction to detonate made explosives and test-
truck bombs in the meat- ed them. It also plans to
packing town of Garden present testimony showing
City, 220 miles (350 kilome- the men tried to recruit oth-
ters) west of Wichita. Stein er members of the Kansas
also faces weapons-relat- Security Force to join them,
ed charges and Wright has and warned them not to
an additional charge of ly- tip off law enforcement
ing to the FBI. about the plan. Some mili-
"Defendants wanted to tia members will testify they
send the message Muslims didn't like Muslims but re-
are not welcomed here fused to join the plan to kill
— not in Garden City, not people.q
