The revelation breaks more than two weeks of silence from authorities as they grow increasingly tight-lipped about the investigation surrounding the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo says that one of the officers who breached Paddock’s room fired his weapon after the squad broke through a second door into a separate suite.
“It happened and we’re investigating it, just like we do with any officer-involved use of force,” Lombardo said. “Nobody was struck.”
It is unclear what prompted the accident.
Lombardo also confirmed that the only security cameras on the 32nd floor of Mandalay Bay faced the elevators. There we no cameras facing the hallway toward Paddock’s room or the stairwell door right next to it, which security guard Jesus Campos approached before Paddock allegedly fired at him through the double doors of the suite.
Authorities have for weeks refused to answer basic questions about the shooting, frustrating media outlets and fueling speculation online about what really happened on Oct. 1.
The Clark County coroner is yet to release the cause of death for Paddock. No surveillance footage of Paddock entering the hotel has been released.
According to the official timeline, Paddock started firing from his window shortly after 10 p.m., killing 58 people and injuring more than 500 before turning the gun on himself. Police breached his room at 11:20 p.m., more than an hour after he started firing, for reasons that remain unclear.
That same tower has been pinpointed as the potential location of a second shooter in both an audio analysis and a muzzle-reflection analysis in theories posted by volunteers online.
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