Las Vegas gunman crafted a meticulous plan to rain carnage

SHOOTER’S GIRLFRIEND BACK IN USA Cops eager to interview Marilou Danley, who had been in the Philippines, in order to learn what was going through Paddock’s mind

LASVEGAS: Before he mowed down concertgoers from a perch high in a hotel tower, Stephen C Paddock created a ring of surveillance around him, with video cameras in his suite and in the hallway, law enforcement officials said on Tuesday. But investigators were still at a loss to offer a motive for the massacre.

The cameras — apparently intended to warn of approaching threats — along with the 23 guns, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and other equipment found in the shooter’s hotel suite, suggested a thought-out plan to have plenty of time to wreak carnage while holding police at bay.

Local and federal investigators were also eager to interview the gunman’s girlfriend, Marilou Danley, who had been in the Philippines. She arrived at Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday night and was met by the authorities. Sheriff Joseph Lombardo of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said that, at a minimum, she might shed some light on what was going through the mind of the gunman, who killed himself as the police prepared to enter his room.

At 10:07 pm on Sunday, the gunman opened fire on the thousands of people attending a country music festival a few hundred yards northeast of the hotel, firing long, rapid-fire bursts as people screamed and ran for their lives. He killed 59 people — the coroner clarified on Tuesday that the number included Paddock, along with his 58 victims — and wounded hundreds of others.

President Donald Trump, who is expected to visit Las Vegas on Wednesday, said Tuesday that Paddock was “a sick man, a demented man,” adding that “we are dealing with a very, very sick individual.” He said there would be some discussion about firearms legislation, but was not specific.

According to a law enforcement official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, investigators also were looking into whether Paddock had planned an earlier attack in Las Vegas before deciding to target the concert.

Paddock checked in on Thursday, and kept the “Do Not Disturb” sign on his door for the next three days, so no maids entered the rooms, according to a hotel worker, who also was not authorized to discuss the matter. Housekeepers are allowed to enter a room with such a sign only in the presence of a security guard, and it happens rarely, usually after several days, the worker said.

The hotel staff is trained to look for anything suspicious, but the gunman’s behaviour did not set off any alarms, the employee said.

He had at least 10 suitcases in his room, the sheriff had said, which might have been used to bring the guns in without notice. But the hotel worker said it would have been easy to bring them to the room a few at a time without arousing suspicion.