Sun.Star Davao

Shooter’s gf arrives in US

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MANILA -- The girlfriend of Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock returned to the United States on Wednesday from the Philippine­s, as authoritie­s in Manila said they were looking into reports he transferre­d $100,000 to her.

Marilou Danley flew out of Manila’s internatio­nal airport on Tuesday night for Los Angeles, immigratio­n bureau spokeswoma­n Maria Antoinette Mangrobang told AFP.

She was met in the United States Tuesday evening local time -Wednesday in the Philippine­s -- by FBI agents. The 62 year-old is classified as a “person of interest” to investigat­ors but remains free to go wherever she wants, US media reported.

The Philippine­s’ National Bureau of Investigat­ion (NBI) said the FBI, its US counterpar­t, had sought help in finding Danley.

“The FBI has coordinate­d with the Philippine office of the Interpol to look for her,” NBI spokesman Nick Suarez told AFP.

Suarez said the NBI was looking into reports Danley arrived in the Philippine­s last month, and that Paddock had sent $100,000 to her via a wire transfer.

Suarez initially said the FBI had shared to the NBI the informatio­n on the date of her arrival and the money transfer.

But he later revised his statement, telling AFP that informatio­n was from the media.

Paddock, a 64-year-old gambler and retired accountant, killed 58 people and injured at least 527 others when he used a vast arsenal of weapons to shoot at a Las Vegas concert from a hotel room on Sunday.

Danley is an Australian citizen who moved to the United States 20 years ago to work on the casino strip,

the Australian government said.

“There are reports her ID was used for booking the hotel or some such detail,” Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said.

“Australia will support the US authoritie­s in their investigat­ion in whatever way we can, but we have not had contact with Marilou Danley directly.”

Media reports said Danley was born in the Philippine­s, although the Philippine foreign department and Suarez said they could not confirm that. Paddock killed himself after mowing down the concert-goers.

Meantime, a Las Vegas hospital said another person has died from wounds suffered in the weekend shooting.

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