LVMPD Preliminary Investigative Report

On Oct. 1, 2017, over 22,000 people came together to enjoy a country music festival in Las Vegas, Nevada. On the third and final night of the festival, a lone gunman opened fire into the crowd from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. On Monday, Sept. 25, 2017, Stephen Paddock checked into room 32-135 of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino with a scheduled check-out date of Oct. 2, 2017. On Friday Sept. 29, 2017, Paddock checked into room 32-134 which connected with room 32-135 via connecting doors. From Sept. 25, 2017, through Oct. 1, 2017, Paddock transported multiple suitcases to his room on several occasions. Paddock also left Mandalay Bay on multiple occasions for long periods of time, often returning to Mesquite, Nevada. On Oct. 1, 2017, at approximately 21:18 hours, Mandalay Bay Security Officer Jesus Campos was assigned to check several alarms from various rooms inside the hotel. Room 32-129 was the last of the rooms Campos was assigned to check. Campos was on the 30th floor and responded to the 32nd floor via the stairwell in the north end of the 100 wing. Campos attempted to enter the hallway to the 100 wing but the door would not open. He took the stairs to the 33rd floor and used the guest elevator to access the 32nd floor. Once on the 32nd floor, Campos discovered an “L” bracket screwed into the door and door frame. Campos called his dispatch center with the house phone located in the foyer to report the discovery. The security dispatch center then called the engineering section to have the door checked. Campos heard what he described as a rapid drilling sound coming from room 32-135 after he hung up the phone. As he walked down the 100 wing hallway, Campos heard what he described as automatic gunfire coming from the area of room 32-135 and realized he had been shot in the left calf. He took cover in the alcove of rooms 32-122 and 32-124 and utilized both his cellular phone and radio to notify his dispatch he was shot. Campos advised he was shot with a BB or pellet gun. While waiting for other security personnel to arrive Campos continued to hear gunfire coming from the room. Engineer Stephen Schuck finished fixing a leak in room 62-207 when he was directed to respond to the 32nd floor reference the bracket preventing the stairwell door from opening. As Schuck walked up the hallway of the 100 wing, he observed Campos poke his head out of an alcove. Schuck then heard rapid gunfire coming from the end of the 100 hallway which lasted approximately 10 seconds. When the gunfire stopped, he heard Campos tell him to take cover. Schuck stepped into an alcove and gunfire again erupted down the hallway coming from room 32-135. The gunfire lasted a few seconds then stopped. The gunfire started again after a brief pause but Schuck believed it was directed outside and not down the hallway. Inside the Las Vegas Village over 50 LVMPD personnel were on overtime assignments for the Route 91 Harvest Festival. The initial gunshots were heard on an officer’s Body Worn Camera (BWC). Officers and concertgoers initially believed the gunfire to be fireworks. As Paddock targeted the concertgoers with gunfire, officers quickly determined they were dealing with an active shooter and broadcast the information over the radio. The crowd inside the Las Vegas Village started reacting to the gunfire and Jason Aldean ran off the stage. Officers and concertgoers began treating victims who were struck by gunfire. They also tried to get concertgoers out of the venue in a safe manner. Officers determined the gunfire was coming from an elevated position, possibly from Mandalay Bay Hotel. Medical personnel were requested for multiple people struck by gunfire. As the active shooter incident was occurring, two LVMPD officers were in the security office of Mandalay Bay handling a call for service reference two females who were in custody for trespassing. The officers heard the radio broadcast of gunfire at the Route 91 Harvest Festival. Both officers, along with security personnel, exited the security office and responded toward the Las Vegas Village. As they were making their way through the casino, security personnel advised the officers of an active shooter on the 32nd floor of the hotel. The officers then directed security to escort them to that location. The officers and security personnel entered the Center Core guest elevators. The officers made a tactical decision to respond to the 31st floor and take the stairwell to the 32nd floor. LVMPD officers converged on the Las Vegas Village and Mandalay Bay. Officers formed multiple Strike Teams and entered the Mandalay Bay from various entrance points. A team of officers including a SWAT Operator reached the 32nd floor via the stairwell in the 100 wing. Officers did not hear gunfire coming from room 32-135. Officers were able to manually breach the “L” bracket on the stairwell door and gain access to the hallway. Officers immediately observed a fo