Las Vegas Shooting: Gunman's Girlfriend Meets Investigators; Trump Praises Doctors, Police

LAS VEGAS, NV — Seeking answers to what made Stephen Paddock go on a shooting rampage that left dozens of people dead and hundreds of others wounded, Federal investigators were interviewing Paddock's girlfriend Wednesday with the hope that she can provide clues to his motives. The probe by federal and local investigators into the Sunday attack on the audience of a country music concert near Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino continued as President Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrived there Wednesday.

Investigators are currently focused on Marilou Danley, 62, the girlfriend of Paddock. Police say she was in the Philippines during the Sunday attack and arrived back in the United States late Tuesday. She was met by FBI agents at the airport in Los Angeles, the Associated Press reported, and has hired an attorney to advise her during the police questioning.

Although police earlier this week said that Danley was not involved in the attack, Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said the girlfriend is now “a person of interest.” Police have revealed that Paddock wired $100,000 to the Philippines, which led police to renew their interest in Danley. (For updates on the shooting and daily news from Las Vegas, sign up for the Patch morning newsletter and Breaking News Alerts.)

Sister: Vegas Gunman Sent Marylou Danley Away

Prior to the attack, Danley was sent away from Las Vegas by Paddock, said her sister in an interview by an Australian television station. In doing so, Paddock spared the woman's life, the sister said. "But that won't be [able] to compensate the 59 lives," she said.

A second sister told the TV station that Danley likely is shocked over the attack and the discovery that someone "she loved" committed this attack.

Body Camera Footage Captures Chaos Of Shooting

The retired accountant Paddock, 64, and Danley met at a casino in Reno several years ago and often gambled together, according to a report Wednesday in the Washington Post. Paddock's brother, Eric, told the Post that the couple was "adorable" and that his brother "doted" on Danley.

Investigators said there are clear signs that Paddock meticulously planned the attack. He had rented the 32nd floor Mandalay Bay suite for a couple of days prior to the shooting and had rigged cameras inside and outside the room to alert him of people approaching his room. New photos from the scene inside the suite after the attack have emerged online and show military-style weapons littered about the room.

Police found a total of 47 guns in Paddock's possession at three different locations. He was found in the hotel room with 12 firearms with legal "bump-fire" stocks, which essentially convert semi-automatic weapons into automatic weapons. Authorities reported that Paddock acquired 33 of his weapons in the past 12 months, according to a report by CNN.

>>> Watch: Las Vegas Singer Slain In Rampage Finds Fame In Death

Authorities have commended a "very heroic" Jesus Campos, a hotel security guard who was wounded during the assault when Paddock fired at him through the door of the room. Police believe it may have been the security guard's approach that stopped Paddock's gunfire. The security guard also provided valuable information to police, according to a report from the Daily Beast.

New footage from police body cameras shows the intensity and pure fury of the attack and how officers responded. The video shows the chaos of the attack as officers tried to figure out the location of the shooter and shuttle people to safety. Amid sirens and volleys of gunfire, people yelled "they're shooting right at us" while officers shouted "go that way!"

Meanwhile, federal and local police authorities are expected to brief President Trump on their investigation when he visits Wednesday. The president has commended police for their quick reaction to the shooting, which lasted approximately nine minutes before police closed on Paddock and he shot himself to death. The president and First Lady Melania Trump arrived just before 10 a.m. local time.

"What I saw today is incredible tribute to professionalism," he said in a brief meeting with reporters just before noon local time on Wednesday after meeting with the medical staff as well as survivors at University Medical Center.

He said he met with patients, some of whom gave up their ambulances to the hospital for more gravely wounded people. "It makes you proud to be an American," said Trump.

Trump: We Are With Vegas 100%

The president then visited with police officers, firefighters, dispatchers and police authorities in a series of meetings. Trump praised them for their actions and swift reaction to the attack. "It could have been worse," he noted during one meeting with police, saying he was "in the company of heroes."

The victims of this tragedy come from all walks of life and from across the nation. Among them are police officers, a wrestling coach and a lawyer. There is the story of Neysa Tonks, a 46-year-old mother of three boys, remembered as a "great mother, colleague and friend." There was also Heather Warino Alvarado, an in-home day care center operator and mother of three from Cedar City, Utah.

>>> Las Vegas Shooting: These Are The Victims

The incident, as awful and evil as it was, brought out the best in some people. Among the flurry of gunfire, people stood up and pulled each other out of harm's way. There were stories of spouses shielding their significant others from bullets. People carrying complete strangers to waiting ambulances. Lindsay Padgett and Mark Jay obliged a stranger who hailed them down and said their pickup was needed as a makeshift ambulance. After loading up the pickup with victims, Padgett and Jay drove through roadblocks and over curbs to ferry the victims to the hospital.

“I just feel like that’s what you do,” Padgett told KTNV-TV. “When people need help, you have to take them to the hospital.”

Some information from this report came from the Associated Press

Photo by Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press