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The moment officers from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department located shooting suspect Stephen Paddock was captured in chilling police scanner audio.
Paddock, 64, was allegedly inside of his 32nd-floor hotel room at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino when he fired guns at thousands of people attending Route 91 Harvest Festival across the street on the Las Vegas Strip on Sunday evening. At least 58 people were killed and at least another 515 were injured. It’s the deadliest mass shooting in American history.
The shooting started during a headlining performance by country music star Jason Aldean, and a deceased Paddock was located by authorities less than two hours later. He was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a hotel room at Mandalay Bay following a police operation.
Officers cased the casino/hotel as the shooting incident was taking place and narrowed their search to the 32nd floor inside room 135.
According to police scanner traffic, officers conducting the operation to take down Paddock were in a nearby stairwell when they approached room 135. The officers spoke quietly to dispatch as they approached Paddock’s room.
“I’m on the suspects door,” one officer can be heard saying referencing an impending explosive breach. “I need everyone in that hallway to be aware of it and get back. We need to pound this and see if we get any type of response from this guy.”
A loud thud can be heard in the audio as officers entered the room and found a deceased Paddock.
“Breach,” an officer softly says three times.
“We have one suspect down,” a responding officer says as they infiltrate the room. “The room is secure, we’ve got one suspect down, multiple firearms.”
Listen to the chilling police scanner audio from the shooting incident below. The moment police conducted the operation on Paddock’s hotel room comes at the 32:06 mark in the video:
Police say Paddock had at least 10 weapons with him inside the hotel room, and he’s believed to have checked in to the hotel September 28. It’s not currently known how he got the weapons and ammunition into the room.
Marilou Danley was named a “person of interest” police immediately after the shooting because her debit/credit card was located inside Paddock’s hotel room. Danley, who police described as a “companion” of Paddocks, was outside of the country at the time of incident and is believed to have nothing to do with the shooting.
Hours after the shooting incident, President Donald Trump condemned the act and said federal authorities are continuing their investigation, adding the American flag is ordered to be at half staff across the nation.
“My fellow Americans, we are joined together today in sadness, shock and grief,” Trump opened his press conference saying. “Last night, a gunman opened fire in a large crowd at a country music festival in Las Vegas, Nevada. He brutally murdered more than 50 people and wounded hundreds more. It was an act of pure evil. The F.B.I. and the Department of Homeland Security are working closely with local authorities to assist with the investigation, and they will provide updates as to the investigation and how it developed.”
The president also thanked first responders for their quick reaction to the shooting.
“I want to thank the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and all of the first responders for their courageous efforts in helping to save the lives of so many,” Trump said. “The speed at which they acted is miraculous.
Trump announced he’d visit Vegas on Wednesday to meet with local authorities and the families of some of the victims.
