Reports from across nation, around globe on Sunday’s tragedy
Francis ‘saddened’ by shootings
Pope Francis is praying for the victims of Sunday’s deadly mass shootings and was “deeply saddened” to learn of the “senseless tragedy” that killed at least 58 people and wounded over 500, Vatican Radio reported Monday.
“Deeply saddened to learn of the shooting in Las Vegas,” Vatican Radio cited a telegram sent on behalf of the pontiff to the Bishop of Las Vegas, Joseph Anthony Pepe, by Vatican secretary of state Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
“Pope Francis sends the assurance of his spiritual closeness to all those affected by this senseless tragedy,” the telegram continued, praising the response of police and emergency services and promising his prayers.
— Adnkronos International,
Rome (TNS)
Orlando police chief shares message
Two cities connected by a devastating title: The sites of the largest mass shootings in the country.
Orlando Police Chief John Mina released a statement on Monday, sending condolences to everyone impacted by the “horrific” mass shooting in Las Vegas.
Until Sunday, Orlando was the city where the deadliest mass shooting happened in the U.S. In June 2016, Omar Saddiqui Mateen opened fire in the Pulse Nightclub, killing 49 people and injuring 50 others.
That changed around 10 p.m. when 64-year-old Stephen Craig Paddock, of Mesquite, opened fire on the crowd at an outdoor country music festival.
“We are thinking of all those affected by the horrific mass shooting in Las Vegas,” Mina wrote. “This community, and the men and women of OPD, know all too well the anguish that is gripping the residents, visitors and law enforcement community in Las Vegas.”
“We grieve with the people of Las Vegas and stand firmly with our brothers and sisters in law enforcement who are dealing with this tragedy,” the statement continued. “Our condolences and prayers go out to the families of all those affected, and we grieve with LVMPD, who list an off-duty officer who was attending the concert and was shot and killed.” — Melissa Hanson, Masslive. com, Springfield, Mass. (TNS)
Who is Stephen Paddock’s roommate, former Memphian Marilou Danley?
Marilou Danley, the woman initially wanted for questioning but later cleared of involvement in Sunday night’s mass shootings, is a former Memphis, Tenn., resident who describes herself as a “proud mom and grandma.”
Danley initially was identified as a person of interest, but is out of the county, according to Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo
The nature of Danley’s relationship with suspected shooter Stephen Paddock is unclear, with some online sites saying she was Paddock’s wife though authorities identified her as a roommate.
Paddock apparently had been using some of Danley’s identification in the days before Sunday’s shootings, leading to some confusion.
A Linkedin account describes Danley as a gambling and casino professional. She is identified as a “high limit hostess” at a Reno, casino between 2010 and 2013.
The Facebook page of Danley, 62, has been deleted, but her profile described her as a “proud mom and grandma who lives life to the fullest.”
Photos of family and overseas cruises filled her Facebook account.
Public records show Danley lived in Memphis at some point in four different East Memphis and southeast Shelby County ZIP Codes. She also lived in Springdale, Ark., at some point.
Other addresses include Canton, Ohio, and Sparks, Reno and Mesquite in Nevada. The Mesquite address was the home of Paddock.
— Ron Maxey, The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tenn.
Websites ID wrong guy as shooter
Early Monday, police identified Stephen Paddock, 64, as the man suspected of opening fire from Mandala Bay late Sunday night, killing more than 50 people and injuring 400 others.
But amid the chaos that erupted at the Route 91 Harvest Festival, people turning to social media for answers saw another name popping up on their feeds: Geary Danley.
Danley’s name first came up because he was Facebook friends with Marilou Danley, whom police had described as a person of interest connected to the suspected shooter. It’s unclear what relationship Geary Danley has with Marilou Danley, and he did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Marilou Danley has been found out of the country and is no longer considered a person of interest.
Right-wing news site the Gateway Pundit, which the Trump administration granted White House press credentials this year, posted a now-deleted item identifying Geary Danley as the shooter with the headline: “Las Vegas Shooter Reportedly a Democrat Who Liked Rachel Maddow, Moveon.org and Associated with Anti-trump Army.”
Danley’s name was also linked to the shooting on Everipedia, an online encyclopedia that describes itself as allowing “anyone to create a page about any person, organization, object, or idea.” In the Everipedia post, which was shared more than 4,000 times on Facebook, Danley was identified as “a Democrat and is registered to vote in Washoe County, Nevada” who liked several anti-trump pages on Facebook.
From there, Danley’s name and supposed politics spread across right-wing social media, pushed by conservative platforms such as Cougarboard, Dailey Alt News, and USSA News, which describes itself as “The Tea Party’s Front Page.” The false news items quickly spread across social media until police identified Paddock as the lone suspect later Monday.
Dailey Alt News later corrected its post and apologized.
The false identification of Danley as the suspected shooter wasn’t the only hoax that spread overnight Sunday into Monday morning. As Buzzfeed pointed out, dozens of accounts falsely identified comedian Sam Hyde as the suspected shooter, claiming he was “32-year-old Islamic convert Samir Al-hajeed.”
There were also several social media users who spread fake “missing friends” photos on Twitter
— Rob Tornoe, Philly.com
(TNS)