LAS VEGAS — The video footage from three separate Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officer body-worn cameras from the night of the October 1, 2017 Las Vegas Massacre shows that two police officers each took possession of rifle cartridges from two separate locations.
Another officer is seen on a third body-worn camera video pointing out a loaded magazine and live ammunition on the ground of a street directly behind the concert venue.
The LVMPD’s final criminal investigative report that was released on August 3 makes no mention of any of this.
The following are transcribed excerpts from Sheriff Joe Lombardo’s August press briefing when he announced the release of that report:
Reporter: Will you please address assertions that there were conspiracies behind this and that there were second or multiple gunmen.
Lombardo: Absolutely. No conspiracies have been identified and there has been no other gunmen identified other than Mr. Paddock.
Police recovering a round on a restroom floor
Reporter: Were there no other shootings at other casinos or properties in Las Vegas at, in the same time.
Lombardo:None. No other shootings, that we have identified. You know, one of the explanations behind that Ken is, just to provide you some clarification is we had people evacuated, leaving the scene that sustained injuries, they had blood splatter, they had blood evidence upon there person and as they entered other venues, is believed by other people that were occupying the venues that they may have obtained those injuries within the venue that they evacuated to. So there was a belief there were shooters present on those properties. We quickly put those to bed because the way were trained to address multiple attack locations, as you can imagine the chaos associated with this.
Reporter:Understood. We heard some pretty specific accounts…
Lombardo: Right. Well I’ll be frank. I will be up front with you. Even my people gave specific accounts on the radio system. They were, that was based on third party information and that’s why it’s important to put those kinds of things to bed as soon as possible, so, and I think we did a pretty good job, of, in a short period of time doing that.
Reporter: Single shooter, no conspiracy.
Lombardo: Single shooter, no conspiracy.
Active shooter at the Paris Hotel
After Paddock’s gunfire stopped at 10:15 p.m. multiple reports of active shooters started being called into the LVMPD Communications Center by civilians via telephone and by LVMPD personnel on the ground, starting with the New York, New York Hotel 11:06 p.m.
The Paris Hotel was just one of many.
Shirtless male turning over a .223 round to LVMPD.
LVMPD radio traffic starting at 11:30 p.m.
705Victor: We have reports of a guy with a gun here. We’re at The Paris.
Dispatcher: Copy, there’s a male with a 413 [firearm] at The Paris, subject with a 413 at Paris.
705Victor: We got people running, we have Security trying to point out where the gunman is, we can’t find him.
705Victor: We’re hearing 434 [gunshots] The Paris.
654: Shifting my team to The Paris.
705Victor: My whole strike team is out here.
Dispatcher: Are you still hearing 434’s?
705Victor: There were reports of 434, but got people running everywhere and reports…
Dispatcher: Okay, are you hearing 434’s actively right now?
705Victor: Negative, negative.
Control 701, I have two teams we’re coming in the main valet of The Paris right now.
Dispatcher: 705Victor originally said there were shots fired but they, she did not hear them, and people are running everywhere and that were being reported of 434’s.
759: I am strike team 13 I’ve arrived at The Paris making entry into the north Sportsbook doors.
Control 701, we have several strike teams inside The Paris, negative 434’s, everybody’s leaving though.
No gunman was apprehended at The Paris Hotel.
LVMPD body-worn camera video, Batch 28 # 585
This video depicts two LVMPD officers along with Paris Hotel security officers searching a restroom inside the hotel at 3:49 a.m. on October 2, 2017.
A rifle cartridge case is recovered by the officer on the restroom floor after he puts on a latex glove which is proper police procedure when recovering an item of evidence. He then picks up the cartridge case and looks at it.
The first thirty seconds of audio is muted out, so you can’t hear that portion of the conversation. Excerpts as follows:
“You got pictures.”
“Want a glove?”
“I already talked to…” [unintelligible].
“It’s a Gold Dot [unintelligible]round.”
“I’m fairly confident that’s ours. I don’t think he would use a .223.”
Is the “he”the officer is referring to the alleged shooter at the Paris earlier?
LVMPD body-worn camera video, Batch 26 #468
This video is from the rear of the concert venue after the gunfire stopped. There is no time/date stamp.
At the 15:28 minute mark into the video, a shirtless white male adult walks up and says he found a .223 round outside on the street and turns it over.
The police officer talking unit 179 Sam Easy and it’s his BWC that is recording.
“I found it in the street brother, .223 round right here, I don’t know if it’s any help, I just wanted you guys to know,”the white male says.
LVMPD body-worn camera video, Batch 26 #494
This is a companion video to #468 also from 179 Sam Easy’s BWC. There is no time/date stamp.
It’s important for two reasons.
First, 179 Sam Easy confirms that he was handed the .223 round from the unidentified male earlier.
Second, he is pointing out bullet impacts in one of the tour buses that is parked to the rear of the concert stage and says it’s a crime scene.
A bullet impact into the metal of the bus should reveal whether the bullet came in from an angle, indicating that it was fired from an elevated position, or a horizontal impact, which would indicate it was fired at ground level.
The following excerpts start at the 12:25 minute mark into the video:
Unidentified:“Yeah, there is one in the side and there’s one in the window,”[of the tour bus].
179 Sam Easy:“Somebody handed me a .223 round they found on the ground outside.”
Unidentified:“Outside there.”
Unidentified: “Yeah, that’s a full blown round right there.”
179 Sam Easy:“That’s going to be pretty damn good evidence right there.” “That’s a pretty good bullet right there.” “It’s going to be found lodged in there.” “It’s a crime scene.”
LVMPD body-worn camera video, Batch 27 #523
This video also has no time date/stamp. The location is a street adjacent to the concert venue.
At the 8:50 minute mark into the video the officer standing in the middle of the street, says to another officer:
“I also have a, I have a magazine there with bullets in it,” as he points to the left“and I then I have live rounds here in these cones, just giving you a heads up,” as he points to the ground to the right.
Another interesting video. A loaded magazine on one side of the street and live rounds on the other side.
To date, we do not know the results of the FBI forensic analysis as to recovered bullets from the concert venue, surrounding locations as well as any bullets removed from the victims of the gunfire.
That report must have been completed prior to the release of the LVMPD’s final report.
The LVMPD stated that the information was summarized from the FBI analysis report as to the bullet recovered from Paddock’s head matching the revolver found next to him and that expended cartridge cases recovered from Mandalay Bay Hotel Rooms 32-134 and 32-135 all matched the firearms recovered from the rooms.
Are we going to see these FBI analysis reports?
The FBI‘s Evidence Recovery Team took possession of all the physical evidence related to the criminal investigation according to the LVMPD.
The FBI said their report will be released by the end of the year. It should be rather extensive.
The end of the year is quickly approaching.
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