SHOOTER SET SIGHTS

Official remarks just compound confusion

At a time when a nervous public was looking for reassurance, state and city officials instead delivered mixed messages and confusion.

The report that Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock may have been scouting out Boston as a target came early in the day, but it wasn’t until night that authorities fully briefed the public about it.

Gov. Charlie Baker could only say initially there was “no imminent threat” to the state, but was mum about whether he got a heads-up about reports that Paddock had done internet searches for Boston concert venues and hotels around Fenway Park.

Baker also declined to comment about the reports, citing the ongoing investigation.

“We’ve been in regular contact with the Fusion Center and they’ve been in regular contact with Las Vegas,” Baker repeated.

For those unfamiliar with the “Fusion Center” — which is probably most civilians — it’s a statewide information-sharing agency.

Boston police Commissioner William B. Evans was informed of the Boston connection on Wednesday night, according to officials.

But Evans initially said he hadn’t been briefed on the connection. Officials now say he misspoke and was prevented from saying anything due to the ongoing investigation.

If city officials did know about the Boston connection on Wednesday, they never informed the public about it.

And it’s unclear whether Evans or any law enforcement officials informed the governor.

Boston police Lt. Det. Michael McCarthy said they “weren’t at liberty to discuss anything” about the case until yesterday, but the information about Paddock’s other potential targets had already been leaked earlier in the day.

The lack of a coherent response created confusion for much of the day, until the commissioner clarified his comments last night.

Evans should have been better prepared for a response when initial reports from NBC News mentioned Boston as one of the cities Paddock apparently researched in preparation for an attack.

The Las Vegas massacre has shaken the public in Massachusetts and throughout the country, and the Boston connection was bound to sew even more apprehension in the city, especially considering Fenway Park will be hosting a playoff game Sunday.

The public deserves a quick and thorough response and not just a vague “no imminent threat.”

STAFF PHOTO, BY STUART CAHILL; STAFF PHOTO, LEFT, BY PATRICK WHITTEMORE WHAT DID THEY KNOW, WHEN DID THEY KNOW IT: Boston police Commissioner William B. Evans speaks to reporters yesterday about reports of Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock investigating Boston venues as Mayor Martin J. Walsh looks on. Gov. Charlie Baker,...