Las Vegas Gunman Booked Rooms Near Lollapalooza: Reports

Las Vegas Gunman Booked Rooms Near Lollapalooza: Reports
This undated photo provided by Eric Paddock shows his brother, Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock. (Courtesy of Eric Paddock via AP)
Jack Phillips
10/5/2017
Updated:
10/5/2017

Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock may have set his sights on another music festival.

In August, he booked a hotel room in Chicago with a room facing the Lollapalooza music festival, according to a law enforcement official, who spoke to USA Today.

In killing 58 people and wounding hundreds more, the 64-year-old fired from a suite on 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas on Sunday night, Oct. 2. He had about two dozen guns.

But two months earlier, he booked one room at the Blackstone Hotel starting on Aug. 1, two days before the Lollapalooza festival opened. He booked another room on Aug. 3 at the Blackstone.

Marilou Danley (left), whose live-in boyfriend Stephen Paddock (right) carried out a shooting rampage at a Las Vegas concert Sunday night. (Handout via Reuters)
Marilou Danley (left), whose live-in boyfriend Stephen Paddock (right) carried out a shooting rampage at a Las Vegas concert Sunday night. (Handout via Reuters)

The Blackstone confirmed to USA Today that the rooms were booked in his name, but he didn’t stay there during those dates. The rooms had a checkout date of Aug. 6, which corresponded with the final day of Lollapalooza.

It’s not clear if he was in Chicago during the festival, a law enforcement official told the newspaper.

Lorde, Chance the Rapper, and Arcade Fire played at Lollapalooza this year---with about 100,000 people attending. Former President Obama’s daughters, Malia and Sasha, attended the festival. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel also showed up, reported the Chicago Tribune.

The Chicago Police Department is now investigating reports that he booked rooms there.

“We are aware of the media reports and have been in communication with our federal partners,” said Anthony Guglielmi, Chief spokesman for the police department.

Las Vegas Sheriff Joseph Lombardo told reporters Paddock also rented several rooms via Airbnb at The Ogden hotel in Las Vegas last month. The dates corresponded with the “Life is Beautiful” music festival held from Sept. 22-24.

A man stands outside the the Route 91 Harvest country music festival grounds after an active shooter was reported in Las Vegas, Nevada on Oct. 1, 2017. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)
A man stands outside the the Route 91 Harvest country music festival grounds after an active shooter was reported in Las Vegas, Nevada on Oct. 1, 2017. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)
A crowd of people at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after apparent gun fire was heard in Las Vegas, Nevada on Oct. 1, 2017. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)
A crowd of people at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after apparent gun fire was heard in Las Vegas, Nevada on Oct. 1, 2017. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)

“Was he doing pre-surveillance?” said Lombardo. “We don’t know yet.”

Citing law enforcement sources, NBC News reported that he had researched locations in Boston.

But investigators probing Sunday night’s shooting are still confused by Paddock’s motives.

“What we know is that Stephen Paddock is a man who spent decades acquiring weapons and ammo and living a secret life, much of which will never be fully understood,” Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo told reporters on Wednesday night, Reuters reported.

Lombardo said he found it hard to believe that the arsenal of weapons, ammunition and explosives that were found by police in their investigation could have been procured by him on his own. Police suspect that he may have received help.

Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter with 15 years experience who started as a local New York City reporter. Having joined The Epoch Times' news team in 2009, Jack was born and raised near Modesto in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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