Alex Jones of Infowars fame took to Twitter on Tuesday afternoon to share a photo of what he claims is the aftermath of Stephen Paddock’s suicide.
The graphic photo, which you can see below, shows a man with his head covered in blood, laying on a floor that is covered in what appears to be hotel room carpet. There is a pool of blood surrounding the man’s head, which would suggest that he shot himself in the head or in the mouth. The ground around him is littered with shell casings. You can see the photo below (warning, it is very graphic):
Las Vegas police confirmed that the photo showing Paddock’s body, as well as other crime scene photos leaded Tuesday, are legitimate. Authorities said they would be investigating to determine who leaked the photos. The body photo shared by Jones first appeared on LiveLeak Tuesday morning after it was posted by an anonymous person, and it gained widespread attention after it was shared on social media by Jones.
“There was a question about the validity of the crime scene photos that somebody had leaked,” Undersheriff Kevin McMahill said. “I can confirm those are, in fact, photos from inside of the room; they are in fact photos of our suspect, and as the sheriff mentioned previously, we have all opened up an internal investigation to determine the source of the leaks of those photos to the public.”
Paddock, 64, was identified by police as the sole suspect in the Las Vegas concert shooting that took place on Sunday night. You can read more about him here. Law enforcement said that Paddock had 23 guns, including more than 10 rifles, in his hotel room at Mandalay Bay. He shot out of the window of his room, taking aim at concertgoers attending the Route 91 country music festival that was taking place across the street. Paddock killed 58 people and injured hundreds more.
Police were able to find Paddock’s room at Mandalay Bay when the smoke detectors went off due to the amount of gun smoke, according to the Washington Post. When they arrived, Paddock was dead following an apparent suicide. Further details about where exactly Paddock’s body was found were not released.
“After they located his room, the SWAT team members used explosives to get inside, the sheriff’s office said. Paddock, 64, killed himself before the officers entered, according to Las Vegas Sheriff Joe Lombardo.”
Another photo said to be from inside Paddock’s hotel room shows two of the weapons that he had with him. As you can see, the photos appear to have the same carpet in the background as the “death photo.” The picture was posted by Boston-area reporter, Jacqui Heinrich.
