Jesus Campos is the security guard who was shot by Stephen Paddock at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on October 1, according to police. However, recent developments in the investigation have changed the timeline of events on that terrifying night, leading to some rumors about Campos’ role.
On Monday, Sheriff Joe Lombardo explained that Paddock shot Campos, who was unarmed, from inside his hotel room at 9:59 p.m., just minutes before he opened fire on concertgoers attending the Route 91 Harvest Festival across the street. It was previously believed that Campos found Paddock after he had begun his shooting spree and that Campos may have been the reason that Paddock stopped shooting.
This new timeline has caused some people to become curious about Campos and his whereabouts at the time of the shooting. According to Snopes, some have incorrectly suggested that Campos acted as Paddock’s accomplice.
“Jesus Campos has been praised for his apparent heroics on October 1st, as he supposedly rushed to Paddock’s suite, was shot in the upper thigh through the door, and continued to help get people to safety despite his wounds. However, a new report indicates the ATF now believes he was likely an accomplice of Paddock’s, and may have even been involved in the initial shooting as a second gunman from the other broken window in Paddock’s 32nd-floor room,” reported a site called GotNews.
Snopes was quick to debunk the rumor.
“We found no evidence to support stories that report Campos acted in any other way than heroically. Campos has been hailed as a hero by the police department for not only locating Paddock’s room, but braving a hail of gunfire in doing so.. Police said Campos provided them with a door key to the suite and stayed to help them evacuate other guests until officers ordered him to seek medical aid for a gunshot wound to the leg,” Snopes reported, adding that police maintain that they believe that Paddock was the only shooter involved in the massacre that claimed the lives of 58 people and injured hundreds more.
