Gunman’s girlfriend quizzed by police over shooting

THE LAS Vegas gunman’s girlfriend is being quizzed by police as they attempt to find out why a man with no record of violence or crime would kill 59 people and leave 527 others injured after opening fire on a concert crowd from a high-rise hotel.

Stephen Paddock’s girlfriend Marilou Danley, 62, who was in the Philippines at the time of the shooting, was met by FBI agents after she touched down in Los Angeles on Tuesday night.

Sheriff Joseph Lombardo, who has called Ms Danley a “person of interest” in the attack, said: “We anticipate some information from her shortly.”

He said he is “absolutely” confident authorities will find out what set off Paddock, a 64-yearold high-stakes gambler and retired accountant who killed himself before police stormed his 32nd-floor room at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino.

Paddock had opened fire on a 22,000-strong crowd at the outdoor Route 91 Harvest Festival, during a performance by country music star Jason Aldean.

Ms Danley first arrived in the Philippines on September 15, according to immigration documents.

She departed on September 22 then returned three days later on a flight from Hong Kong. She was travelling on an Australian passport.

Ms Danley’s Australia-based sisters believe Paddock sent her away to prevent her from interfering with his plans.

Australia’s Channel 7 TV network interviewed the sisters with their faces obscured and their names withheld. They said they believe their sister could not have known about his ideas.

One of the women said Ms Danley is “a good person” who would have stopped Paddock had she been there.

Another of the sisters, who live near Brisbane, Queensland, said they believed Marilou knew Paddock had guns, but not as many as he had.

Paddock transferred $100,000 (£75,000) to the Philippines in the days before the shooting, a US official said.