LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas authorities are expected to provide an update Friday on the investigation of October’s mass shooting.
Nearly four months after the massacre, the inquiry into the largest mass shooting in modern American history is still mired in questions; chief among them: Why did Stephen Paddock do it? But authorities have yet to address many other lingering questions in the case.
Friday’s news conference will be Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo’s first since October 13, when he altered the department’s timeline of the shooting. Lombardo has spoken about the investigation publicly since then in interviews with various media outlets.
The announcement of the news conference came days after CNN reported that police were potentially pursuing criminal charges against someone other than Paddock, who investigators have said they believe carried the attack out alone. Fifty-eight people were killed and hundreds of others were injured October 1 when police say Paddock — using high-powered rifles to shoot out of his hotel room window — targeted people attending an outdoor country music festival. He then killed himself.
Nick Crosby, a lawyer for the city’s police department, told a judge Tuesday that charges could be brought within 60 days.
“Without naming names, there are potential charges against others as a result of the ongoing investigation — is that fair?” asked Clark County District Court Judge Elissa Cadish during a hearing in which CNN and other media outlets were seeking access to sealed court records about the probe.
“Yes,” Crosby told her, later adding, “But I’m not privy to all of the information with respect to what’s going on.”
Crosby did not identify who could be charged or what charges they might face, but he told the judge he had no information the charges pertained to the “actual murders.”
That development followed another earlier in the month, when hundreds of pages of federal court records, including multiple search warrant affidavits, were unsealed, revealing the inner workings of the early stages of the investigation. The records did not contain information regarding the current status of the investigation.
The affidavits revealed discussions among investigators about email exchanges they believe are related to the shooting.
“Try an ar before u buy. We have huge selection. Located in the las vegas area,” read one message sent to an account investigators believe was controlled by Paddock, the documents state.
Congressman pushes conspiracy theory
On Thursday night, a US congressman told Fox News that “nothing is adding up” in the investigation, before pushing a conspiracy theory without providing evidence to back up his claim.
“Recently, I have been made aware of what I believe to be credible evidence or credible information regarding potential terrorist infiltration through the southern border regarding this incident,” Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania told Tucker Carlson.
Following the attack, multiple ISIS communication channels claimed a “soldier of the Islamic State” carried out the attack, but gave no proof to support the claim. The FBI has said it has found “no connection with an international terrorist group.”
Catherine Lombardo, an attorney for victims of the Las Vegas shooting, also appeared on “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”
“I will ask, with all due respect, congressman, unless you have specific evidence it seems a bit irresponsible to make that allegation or make that assertion,” she said.
“If you do have any evidence of that,” Lombardo continued, “I’m asking you right now to share it with us and tell us what that is.”
“I’m not able,” Perry said, before repeating that he received what he believes to be “credible evidence of a possible terrorist nexus.”
