It’s been three months since the deadliest shooting in modern U.S. history took place near the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada and we still know little about gunman Stephen Paddock’s motives.
According to local Las Vegas news outlet Metro 5, key details surrounding the motive cannot be released because “additional suspects,” are still under investigation. Sheriff Lombardo previously claimed only one person is under investigation.
Metro lawyer Nick Crosby believes information about the additional suspects could be revealed in 60 days.
Metro 5 reports:
Inside a district courtroom on Jan. 16, a lawyer for multiple media outlets argued why information pertaining to 1 October is crucial to helping Las Vegas heal, but the lawyer for Metro Police said they can’t release any information because there are still suspects being investigated.
“Without naming names, there are potential charges against other people, because of the ongoing investigation?”, District Court Judge Elissa Cadish asked Metro’s Lawyer Nick Crosby.
“Yes there are charges being investigated,” Crosby replied. That was the biggest piece of new information revealed Tuesday. Lawyers for Metro police squared off with lawyers representing multiple media outlets over the unsealing of search warrants and evidence seized. […]
“Are they investigating obstruction of justice? Lies to Metro under oath from Mandalay Bay employees? Is it people who sold [Paddock] the guns or ammunition? Or did someone have knowledge of what he was going to do? Now [Metro Police] are just having us speculate more and more and more,” Craig Island, an attorney for victim’s of 1 October said. […]
“Today is the first time we’ve heard there are additional suspects out there, this contradicts what they have been saying, [Sheriff] Lombardo has said there are no other suspects,” Maggie McCletchie, a lawyer for the media outlets said.
FOX5 Las Vegas reported from inside the Las Vegas courthouse on the battle to have shooting details released:
IN COURT: @LVMPD's lawyer said they can't release any information about #1October because there are still suspects being investigated. @cyndilundeberg >https://t.co/yu1WHJFcAZ pic.twitter.com/8YAODGI5Ky
— FOX5 Las Vegas (@FOX5Vegas) January 17, 2018
On Friday a federal judge made public hundreds of pages of court documents that had been filed by the FBI in the days and weeks after the Las Vegas concert shooting.
The judge did so in response to a lawsuit filed by CNN and several media organizations.
This isn’t the first time Lombardo has been contradicted.
According to Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo, gunman Stephen Paddock fired in excess of 1,100 rounds the night of the shooting.
John Cardillo, a former NYPD officer, didn’t buy the claim.
“1100 rounds in 9 minutes, even with a bump-fire stock, from one shooter seems implausible. That’s 2 rounds/second not accounting for reloading, or any kind of malfunction. Tough to believe,” tweeted Cardillo.
1100 rounds in 9 minutes, even with a bump-fire stock, from one shooter seems implausible.
That’s 2 rounds/second not accounting for reloading, or any kind of malfunction.
Tough to believe.#LasVegas https://t.co/9JI1dffPdv
— John Cardillo (@johncardillo) November 23, 2017
Amid the anger and confusion brought upon by an ever-changing timeline by the Las Vegas Police Department and FBI, MGM Resorts International hired an elite crisis management firm. The move came on the same day Sheriff Joe Lombardo claimed there was little difference between police and Casino timelines.