Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock’s body in hotel room surrounded by guns – and ‘possible suicide note’
CHILLING images have emerged showing the body of the Las Vegas shooter surrounded by bullet shells, guns and a possible suicide note after he shot himself before cops could stop his slaughter.
Stephen’s Paddock’s legs and torso are visible in one of the leaked images, taken from inside his room at the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas.
He had pushed two chairs together for a makeshift gun rack, near to a table with a note and pen on it – with theories he could have penned a suicide note before the killing spree.
Police believe he fired for between nine and 11 minutes – from 10.08pm and 10.19pm – cutting down hundreds of people attending the Route 91 festival in a hail of bullets.
The pictures also reveal the extent of the 64-year-old’s preparations for his massacre that killed 59 and injured 527 – with cops refusing to rule out a terror link.
Nearby was a hammer he used to smash two windows to fire from.
Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said police expected to know more in 48 hours, saying: “This person may have been radicalised, unbeknownst to us, and we want to identify that source.”
He told reporters the shooter installed cameras inside and outside the room that were linked to a computer – potentially to watch for officers approaching the room.
Las Vegas police confirmed today his girlfriend Marilou Danley was again a “person of interest” after it emerged Paddock wired £75,000 to her home country of the Philippines days before the attack.
Danley, 62, who had been in the Philippines, has since voluntarily flown back to the United States in the early hours of this morning and was met by the FBI at Los Angeles airport.
reported that she had assured her family she had a “clean conscience”, telling her older brother Reynaldo Bustos not to “panic”
But her sisters have suggested the woman was “sent away” to the Philippines by Paddock so that she would not interfere with his plans.
One of the sisters : “He sent her away so that he can plan what he is planning without interruptions.”
They added she was a “good person and gentle soul” and said they hoped she could help authorities.
The unnamed woman said: “No one can put the puzzles together. No one. Except Marilou. Because Steve is not here to talk anymore. Only Marilou can maybe help.”
It has since been revealed that Paddock was prescribed an anti-anxiety drug that can lead to aggressive behaviour.
The gunman and gambling addict had bought 50 10-milligram tablets of diazepam in June – with studies having shown that the drug can trigger fits of violence.
CBS further reported that he had purchased 33 firearms in the last year alone.
Grave concerns were also raised that Paddock may have tried to target another festival, headlined by Muse and Lords, the week before the blood bath.
The mass murderer reportedly tried to book specific suites at The Ogden hotel during the Life is Beautiful open-air festival, but was unable to get the rooms he requested.
revealed on Tuesday Marilou had often visited the Mesquite Starbucks with Stephen Paddock – saying he would often berate his girlfriend in front of them.
Worker Esperanza Mendoza said: “He would glare down at her and say, with a mean attitude, ‘You don’t need my casino card for this. I’m paying for your drink, just like I’m paying for you’.”
But has since claimed the woman, who is believed to be an Australian citizen, had multiple identities, and had been married twice at the same time.
The media outlet reported that she had moved to the US as Marilou Natividad and married a Geary Danley in 1990.
She then married Jose Bustos in 1996, not filing for divorce with Geary Danley until 2015.
The woman, who held two social security numbers, later became the live in girlfriend of Paddock.
FACES OF THE INNOCENT We remember the 59 victims killed in the senseless Las Vegas shooting
Despite naming her as a person of interest, cops appear to have cleared her of any involvement in the massacre, saying Paddock acted alone.
Reports also claimed Paddock, 64, had collected snipers’ notes about changing wind direction that might have affected his aim.
Other snaps show the floor is littered with bullet casings after the sick killer rained down hundreds of rounds on concert-goers below.
Paddock’s massive cache of weapons was believed to include an AK-47, an AR-15, four DDM4 rifles, three FN-15 rifles and Sig Sauer rifles.
One long gun appeared to have been modified with a “bump stock” that would render it fully automatic and have allowed Paddock to unleash hundreds of rounds a minute.
The weapon also had a holographic sight and an over-sized magazine, letting the multi-millionaire shooter fire in longer bursts than usual before having to reload.
An assault rifle can be seen resting on a stand through a massive hole in the blown-out door of the killer’s luxury lair on the 32nd floor of the building.
Earlier yesterday a photo showed crime scene tape criss-crosses the smashed-in wooden doors and a trail of destruction can be seen in the hotel corridor.
A cable can also be seen snaking its way across the marble floor of the suite.
Paddock smuggled a cache of 23 weapons into the hotel, including AK-47s and “bump stock” devices to make his guns fully automatic.
Paddock used tripods to steady his weapons so he could unleash a hail of bullets onto the concert.
Meanwhile, eerie footage also shows inside the £600-a-night room from which Paddock unleashed the worst massacre in modern US history.
Footage of inside the hotel room was shared by a tourist who had stayed in the Mandalay Bay Resort last year – with the man shocked when he realised it was the same used by Paddock.
Speaking to the Sun Online, Jeff Bridges said he had travelled to Las Vegas for three nights with his wife in January 2016.
He said: “I woke up yesterday to the news, like pretty much most Americans because it happened after everybody went to bed.
“I saw the Facebook messages about prayers for Las Vegas and my heart just sank – you realise something bad happened, you just don’t know what yet.”
Jeff said he at first thought the vista suite he and his wife had stayed in was on the 36th floor – before he realised the truth after re-watching the video.
He said: “It was eerie. I just got a knot in the pit of my stomach, knowing that I was probably standing in the same spot, taking that video, as that lunatic was when he was shooting out his window.”
Jeff said that while he and his wife had been upgraded to the room, staff had told them it normally cost between USD$700-900 a night – up to £650.
In the wake of the attack, it emerged Paddock had checked into the room using Marilou Danley’s ID, bringing in at least 10 suitcases during his stay.
After terrified witnesses desperately called emergency services, police were quick to act – swarming on the hotel room on Sunday night.
Officers could be heard whispering before using explosives to storm into the hotel room 32135.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.