Las Vegas hotel owners dispute police timeline

The owners of the Las Vegas hotel where a man opened fire last week disputed on Thursday the police account of how part of the shooting unfolded, casting further doubt on what happened before and during the massacre.

In the days since Stephen Paddock opened fire from his 32nd-floor suite at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, killing 58 people at a country music festival and injuring hundreds more before shooting himself, mystery has surrounded his motivations and planning.

But more recently, uncertainty has also grown regarding the law enforcement response and precisely what unfolded inside the hotel the night of Paddock’s rampage Oct. 1, when the first gunshots were fired and why police and the hotel’s owners have been unable to agree on basic facts about the timeline.

In a statement released Thursday, MGM Resorts said the specific time reported by Sheriff Joseph Lombardo was incorrect and that Jesus Campos, the hotel guard, called in that shots had been fired within a minute of the man firing out his window. MGM also said Las Vegas officers were already with hotel security when Campos’ call came, suggesting there was no lag in alerting police.

Lombardo, who has attributed the shifts in the timeline to the developing investigation and a desire to be transparent, warned that the timetable could shift again.