Friday, October 6, 2017

Vegas: Day Five - A Plea To Stop The Derp



Please, stop being This Guy.

Dear Internet Loons and Rubes: Put the Potato Bong Down

This part is easy: if you don't now what you're talking about, just sit back, and have a big steaming cup of STFU.

1) "I can't believe he got all that crap up to a 32nd floor suite"

That's because you're an idiot, or unfamiliar with Vegas, firearms, and about 48 other facts that many people find to be common knowledge.

We know now Paddock checked in on September 25th, giving him only six f***ing days to get a $#!^load of guns and ammunition to the 32d floor from his car. Seriously, anyone who thinks he carried them out in the open, and up 32 flights of stairs, on his back, is a fucktard. If that includes you, step away from the keyboard.

In Vegas, like many hotels, there are these things called luggage carts:

I've been to the SHOT Show in Vegas multiple times. For the perpetually clueless, it's only the biggest annual gun-industry display of every implement known to man for shooting something, and the accessories for same. They bring MRAPs and friggin' armored personnel carriers in, and literal trainloads of ordnance. And vendors arrive from companies large and small, and tote far more stuff than Paddock did, and keep a lot of it in their hotel rooms.

As I said in comments, if you tip the bellboys, and have enough trunks (you should ignore the pun) and they don't leak blood, you could cart a dismembered elephant to your room, and no one in any Vegas Strip hotel would give two wet farts.

Stop the derp, and close your gaping dropped jaw. And wipe up that drool puddle, eh?

2) "There were two (three/nine/eleventy) other gunman on other floors of the hotel, because I saw Sumdood's shaky cellphone video that showed muzzle flashes from the REAL shooting spot."

Look, asstards, besides yesterday's post, there's a wee problem with that blisteringly dopey hypothesis: there are only two holes in the giant wall of glass at the Mandalay Bay. Both of them in Paddock's two rooms, on the 32d floor.

So I don't give a flying f*** what you imagine you've discovered, but someone shooting from the fourth (or any other) floor would have to first BLOW A HOLE IN THE GLASS (exactly like was done in 32-135 to get Mr. Bullet through Mr. Glass, before sending him to hit Mr. Innocent Bystander At The Concert, M'kay?

If you can't grasp the level of magic you're postulating with no handy holes in the windows, maybe just ponder that glass reflects two things really well: sound, and light. Especially when it's forty-three stories tall, and covers about four acres, at a shallow angle facing the targets.

LIKE THE MANDALAY BAY HOTEL DOES.

For a bonus, his first string of fire is apparently what set off the fire alarms in the entire hotel, which triggers strobe lights in every room and corridor, including all the conference rooms on the fourth floor. None of which, BTW, have any holes blown out through the glass, which faces palm trees, and from which even seeing the concert venue, let alone hitting it with gunfire, would be problematic.

Drop the Magical Bullet Theories, and just stop.

3) "No way could he have hit all those people at that range, because Derp!"

Right. Because it's like, a total mystery how someone firing 50-60 round strings on spray-and-pray, at 400m range, could hit 600 of 22,000 people all standing and sitting in a packed group covering a couple of acres under stadium lighting. Because you know nothing whatsoever about firearms, and have shit for brains.

Stevie Wonder could have done this much damage. The biggest mystery about the actual shooting is how he managed to miss 21,400 people, not that he hit 600 or so. He could point anywhere across an area literally the size of a warehouse, and been unable to miss hitting people with every shot, until they finally caught a major clue, and started to unass the impact area, or gain useful cover from the incoming fire.
And an updated  tally says that only 197 of his victims were GSW wounds, and the rest were injuries from trampling and crashing through barricades and over fences in the melee rush to escape the carnage.

4) "Firing would have kicked his ass, and he'd have had a heart attack shooting that long, because it was so physically taxing."

Um, no, Cupcake. He was shooting for maybe five minutes. By about twelve minutes in, he was done. If he had six of these 100-round magazines,



the total time he'd have been shooting several hundred rounds would be about 54 seconds. Meaning he could have been strolling back and forth between two windows yards apart, casually reloaded a fresh mag, and been done, as he was, with time for a sandwich and a coke in between, in well under 5 minutes.

So what don't we know, still?

1) We don't know why he bothered to cart dozens of guns to the room. By all accounts, all but three were simply props, totally superfluous to what was done. He could have done the entire thing with one, (plus the pistol he evidently capped himself with). So toting an arsenal to the floor was pointless, idiotic, and inexplicable.

2) Why shoot anybody at all? He was an instrument-rated pilot (even with a recently-lapsed license, he owned two planes). He could have gotten in one, and crashed into a jumbo jet on takeoff, and killed hundreds, instead of dozens. He could have pushed lit drums of gasoline out the door onto any crowd. He could have simply crashed into them, and killed five or ten times as many people (which no ban of any kind on anything will ever stop, unless we turn the nation into a giant prison).

3) Why shoot only the concert crowd?? FFS, he had the Vegas Strip at his feet, busy 24/7, and apparently he made no effort to shoot at hundreds of passing cars. He could have shut down the entire blvd. below, making police response impossible for hours. He could have shot at the international airport on one side, or the freeway on the other, and created orders of magnitude more problems than he did.

4) He thought ahead to sealing the emergency stairwell, and putting cameras in the peepholes and in the hall, but he never thought about what to do next, when the police inevitably came calling? Did he wear ear protection? Gloves? Have any sort of an exit and escape plan?

5) If not, and he's got a death wish, he's willing to shoot through the door at an unarmed security guard, and at thousands of people at the concert, but he balks at shooting police who'd be fish in a barrel, and instead quietly pops himself in the head?

6) He has to know they're going to come at him, and he doesn't have a protective vest? He just quietly caps himself instead of making a last stand, and going out in a blaze of gunfire?
Srsly?

7) He knows he's going to certain death, but he buys another gun he's never going to use a couple of days before the shooting?

8) He sends his gf away (an entire hemisphere away), and wires her $100K for a house, but doesn't leave a note, manifesto, or make any plans to dispose of his property beforehand?

9) After sending the gf away, he uses her plastic to check-in and gamble with, leaving a trail straight to her even though she has a bombproof alibi?

10) Where's the hours of video of him? Checking in, making all the trips up with the stuff, etc.?

11) How long between shooting the security guard, and the sealing of the hallway by LVMPD?

12) Was he with anyone else, ever?

13) Was anyone else in the room during his week-long stay?

14) How many other times did he do dry runs on this at other events?

15) Where were his vehicles and aircraft at the time of the shooting?

16) Who was the last person to actually see him alive, outside the room, before he was found dead inside the suite? When and where?

17) Why did the FBI - and not LVMPD -grab all the cameras, electronic devices, and security video surveillance recordings of this from the get-go??

And the Granddaddy of them all:

18) Why would Paddock do ANY of this at all???
I'm no homicide detective, but while he had Means and Opportunity to do the crime he presumptively committed, glaringly absent is any Motive whatsoever.

That's not a petty detail, it's like trying to get a plane off the ground without it having any wings or engine.
Impossibly hard, and ultimately stupid to attempt.

And for those who want to play it:

"He just snapped!" as a defense of "Motive", in a guy who's rich, 64, retired, and otherwise normal and non-descript to the point of disappearing in front of you, when pulled out to explain a caper that was MONTHS in the planning stage, is the textbook photograph under the heading "Deus et machina". And it's a logical fallacy.

This was not an impulsive crime; it was one planned out in depth and detail, with forethought and actions in direct furtherance of the crime that were going on as far back as last October, when Paddock acquired 30 of the 43 (or 50, or 80 or whatever number we're up to now) guns he owned.

This is NOT what "just snapping" looks like. It's also contrary, not to most mass murders, but to every one ever recorded. Unless you know different, and have the evidence to back it up, trying to pin this on the guy because "he just snapped" is tantamount to saying "Fuck a motive, there isn't one, and hey, who needs one of those anyhow?"

Well, other than all of recorded history, no one, I suppose. But if you're going to play that card, own it.

And a working week later, after poring through the details of this guy, there's still nothing whatsoever offered to explain, or that can explain, anything that happened.

And every time they dribble out a factual nugget, they introduce five or ten more unanswered - and unanswerable - questions that undo the entire narrative of the thing.

We're being fed bullshit.
And we don't know why.

33 comments:

  1. John Ringo posted this a day or so ago, and it MIGHT offer an explanation of some sort. I don't know, I don't even take vitamins regularly, and prescription drugs that mess with my head scare me to death. But it makes more sense than a lot of the drivel out there right now.

    www.facebook.com/notes/john-ringo/a-theory-on-las-vegas/10155111388257055/

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  2. So far all we've heard is that he was prescribed some Valium. Valium is not known for causing psychotic breaks, in fact it's used to calm psychotic people down. It's ALSO used to stop teeth grinding at night - for all we know the guy had TMJ.

    If he was suffering depression, any normal family doctor right now is going to prescribe Paxil, Prozac, Lexapro, etc. They'll also hope that that deals with anxiety before recourse to any benzodiazepines, as those are addictive (and the FDA is clamping down on prescribing those almost as hard as opiates). From the amount we were told in the press, it sounds like it was used for anxiety at night with likely concurrent teeth grinding and/or nightmares.

    If he was on an antidepressant, we haven't heard about that yet. Cymbalta is NOT Valium though, in any way, shape, or form. Valium is a "chill pill", it should have the OPPOSITE effect, rather than making someone violent.

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  3. @RS
    Yeah, no.

    A valiant effort to try and build a bridge to Hawaii, but the problem is there's no island where he's going.

    If it comes out Paddock was on something besides Valium, sure. Be he was a licensed pilot, until recently, and his only mildly psychoactive drug was a June Rx for Valium (first-time, AFAIK from what's been released); the trouble with Ringo's hand-waving is that Paddock was buying loads of guns all at once back in October.

    If something else comes out, maybe, but right now it's a speck on the horizon in terms of likelihood.

    The only way this works is going to be rigorous proof, constructed as meticulously as the plotting for the crime was. Not leaps of hope

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  4. The whole problem with the "hiding his tracks" allegation w/ girlfriend, etc, is that all of guns were registered to him. He bought them at counter w/ FBI background checks. And since buying new, the physical paper trail is VERY short. He could never have hoped to leave 20+ guns all registered to him in the room, especially since he was using his live in girlfriend to "hide" his identity and have any hope of getting away with it, or avoiding a massive international manhunt. Again the meticulous, intelligent, planner, etc, profile not adding up.

    And if not planning to get away with it, why no body armor to go down in a blaze of glory -- was thinking of that last night after the missing ear pro realization... And relooking at some of the pics those ARs w/ magnified optics do appear to be Daniel Defense M5 .308s -- which have a much larger blast as well than 5.56...

    Bashing those windows out w/ a hammer (easiest case, it's 1"+ thick plate w/ no laminate -- most likely laminate for both security and energy efficiency). Also note that the hotel allegedly does hourly exterior visual inspections and windows likely have alarms as well -- so he had to bang bang bang both windows and then begin shooting in short succession. And he had high blood pressure that could not be treated due to allergies to the meds, etc.

    Hell, his allergies -- his girlfriend allegedly didn't wear makeup/looks plain because she wanted to spare the alleged shooter reactions he got from her wearing a dollface. He had hotels wash carpets with just plain water before his visits to remove cleaning chemicals that caused allergic reactions. Something dirty like guns for someone who had so many allergies just doesn't make sense -- nor I suppose does hanging out in smoky casinos... Allergies is probably a dead end but facts don't align w/ actions here.

    The sound signature findings Michael Yon posted -- worth noting that M240s and AKMs both fire at around 600 rounds per minute, and uncertain if AKs were tested or sound engineer just compared to small/medium machine guns...

    Watching the Las Vegas Sheriff and the brother, both seem to know more than they're willing to say. And why the girlfriend being wheeled around a wheelchair... This whole thing is rotten.

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  5. Yes, gathering that many carbines in his room is strange. According to the published photos - he had two types of rifle setups in his room. First one - scoped with bipod and second one with Eotechs and bumpfire stock. Its like he was undecided how to best proceed with the shooting - either do it with aimed single shots or just spray long bursts into the gathered crowd. Those "machine" carbines would be useful for repelling assault, but no protective gear - except dark glove - nor any ammunition rig is visible on the leaked photos of his body. Also the snubnose SW revolver depicted lying beside his body is not something one would bring when planning his last stand against SWAT. He surely had the money and knowledge to buy stuff useful for that, he established surveillance and had time to prepare himself, yet in the end he did almost nothing, beside shooting that hotel guard through the doors. The ISIS claim that he was their member is dubious. Those types usually leave message with the oath to their crappy caliph, often adorn themselves and their environment with islamic regalia, wear headbands, rings, flags and whatnot. And in any case they do not off themselves without offering at least impression of resistance. Even the dudes riding SVBIEDS are most often armed and geared up, so they can pretend its not simple suicide, but a "martyrdom operation". Jihadist would not skip the shootout with the police, simply because how good such standoff would look for the sake of their propaganda. But then, information is sparse and distorted, as always in such cases. Perhaps this Paddock guy will turn out to be a huge embarrassment to some groups in States or elsewhere.

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  6. 2 more things per MSM: charger was found that does not match any of the cellphones that belonged to Paddock.

    Garage records show that during a period when Paddock's car left the hotel garage, one of his key cards was used to get into his room.

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  7. 1) If he was alone, why two windows broken out? And before anyone says, so he could go back and forth between them if he was taking fire, forget it, he is 32 stories up, and the police don't know who is looking out the windows above and below. He won't be taking any return fire up there. 2 broken windows = 2 shooters.

    2) His local gun shop claims he bought a Rugar .308 on the same day he left for Vegas. Metro does not have it! It wasn't in ether house he had, car, or in the room. Where the fuck is this gun? Missing Gun = Another person in the room. 2 shooters.

    3) Another thing that is not being talked about are the reports of some of the other crazy shit that was going on in some of the other hotels nearby at the same time. Eyewitness accounts of a guy in a Mandaly Bay security guard jacket being chased by two Mandaly Bay uniform Security guards RIGHT THOUGH THE FUCKING PIT at the LUXOR next door! How is this even possible that we have to hear about this from a foreign news source, and not our own media. WTF?

    4) His pilots license was not taken. His medical was not current, that's a different card. And when you rent a plane, no one asks to see your medical. Only your license, which is good for life or until you fuck up and the FAA determines you shouldn't be flying anymore. Just thought I would clear that up. If he wanted to make a big splash the airplane was still an option for him.

    5) There are theory's being floated that he was undercover FBI and this was a gun sting gone wrong, the ISIS bad guys killed him, and just decided to carry out a target of opportunity attack right there on the spot. BULLSHIT. There is so much wrong with that it is hard to know where to start. So all just throw this out there. If the Feds were doing a undercover sting with Haji buying hardware. Why major strip casino? That's just plain stupid. What if something goes south? How about the Safari Motor Lodge on boulder highway, or some other dump. Back the car right up to the door, open the trunk and carry the shit in. Simple. And the only thing you have to worry about is some crack head walking up to you and asking if you have any spare change.

    6) Said it before and I will say it again. The reason Lombardo is saying lone gunman, is because they have one body. He doesn't believe it any more than anyone else does. But he is dropping hints. Gotta listen close. No way they are going to say there were others that got away. Jihadists running around lose in Vegas would be very bad for business.

    7) And what's up with the 50 pounds of Tanerite they found in his car? Sounds like they had more plans. OR it sounds like a good opportunity to leave some more props laying around so the Democrats can have something else to ban. You decide.

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  8. Calvaryman -- He actually drove back to Mesquite NV after checking in Vegas to buy that gun on 9/28 and then had to drive back. I think it was a different room on 9/25 than 9/28 however...
    Granted the 9/25 checkin info might be wrong, but if right it's more of a wtf.

    http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2017/10/valet-entries-show-vegas-gunman-checked-hotel-three-days-date-given-police/

    Insofar as "props," it's all too cleanly coincidental -- and the pieces look like someone ignorant about guns and their use trying to put on a show. 100% agree. There's crapload of garbage and loose ends and stuff that doesn't lineup, but the "props" are darn near perfection for someone ignorant about guns attempting to be otherwise...

    Oh, one thing I though interesting was MrGunsNGear released a video on facebook yesterday on the NRA slidefire ban -- and in it he made an interesting comment about a belt fed M240 and his wording suggested that it was a non-hint hint if you will... He had a Vegas PD person tell him all that was in the room from the get go, so worth noting.

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    1. Am I understanding you correctly. Are you saying a guy is claiming that someone on Metro is saying there was a M240 in the room?

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  9. I see Zero Hedge put up a piece claiming that in just the last 24 hours, L.E. discovered an ISIS tape he made. The source is Info Wars though, so buyer beware.

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  10. I am saying that Michael Yon released a sound analysis by a sound engineer that showed gun shot audio was a closest match to an M240 (posted in last Vegas thread from Aesop here).

    I am also saying that MrGNG's tangent on the machine gun was weird and he stumbled around it in a very odd way vs rest of his speech, and oddly coincidental... At about Minute 4. It's too weird of a statement that, paraphrase, "someone w/ means and may or may not come out in future that shooter did use a machine gun and may have been possible."
    https://www.facebook.com/Mrgunsngear/videos/1371764519603277/
    Mr GNG previously said weapons and optics in room valued at least $40-50k from what Las Vegas cop told him was in room...

    All weapons I've seen pictured look awfully clean at the muzzle brake for any large quantity of firing, but picture quality is crap... Number of guns vs number of guns actually fired is of interest to me.

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    1. Here is the problem I have with the M240 theory. That's a pretty tightly controlled weapon. I am not aware of any in civilian hands. (Doesn't mean there aren't any, just that I have never heard of one) Now, if he had the connections to get a M240 (maybe off the battlefield in Iraq for example) don't you think he would as have the connections to get a decent battle rife instead of a AR with a piece of shit bump Stock. I mean, if a M240 is in reach, get me a couple of M14s and I will really do some damage. Right? Or how about a FN-FAL? I could see him with a M60, there used to be a shit ton of parts kits on the market. A competent machinist could fab up the receiver with not too much problems. But, there is that one little detail every one is overlooking when they are talking about belt fed weapons being used. Where are all in links? I see plenty of spent rounds in the photos. I don't see any links lying around. I think that pretty much kills the belt fed theory.

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  11. *If he had an inventory, and it wasn't on the list, I would think he would straight say that "shooter did not have/use a machinegun as far as I know."

    Earlier post I was wrong -- $40-50k NOT COUNTING OPTICS:
    https://www.facebook.com/Mrgunsngear/posts/1370025013110561
    "As I stated in my earlier photos, I share these so all of you can be informed with facts and context when the people who are anti-gun bring up gun banning ideas or propose banning "x or y accessory" so you can speak intelligently to your friends/colleagues when these discussions come up.
    Also, I've been contacted by a person who actually cataloged the weapons found in the room and have been given the list. I've decided I will not publish it because if I do it'll just be used by gun banners to target those companies. However, I will tell you they were very high end rifles and roughly cost $40k-50k in total not counting optics. So, the piece of scum killer (name will not be mentioned) put a lot of money toward the weapons for this criminal operation."

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  12. Call me when someone reveals that studio-quality pro sound or video of the music festival recorded the entire event in HQ sound with embedded time code, and someone analyzes that.

    Otherwise, analysis is of cellphone audio, by the shittiest microphones with worst sound fidelity heard since Edison invented the talking picture.

    That sound is ass, which is why it puts the "anal" into any "analysis".
    Anything coming from it is in the dictionary next to GIGO.

    If someone had used an actual full-auto M240 or equivalent, the KIA body count would be in the hundreds instead of dozens; any torso hits from .308 at 400m would likely be terminal, or at least critical, even with rapid hospitalization. Even the semi-auto versions have rifle-like accuracy, and reach out and through things that, for the .223 round, are cover. And they're accurate and lethal out well beyond 700m.

    The victims would have been stacked up like the opening scene in Saving Private Ryan when the landing ramp drops, and the hotel room would have also had links scattered hither and yon.

    Also the list of legal Class III owners of them would probably fit on a single typed sheet, if not an index card.

    But if word got out that terrorists had smuggled belt-fed medium MGs into the US, and that using them was the new normal, there likely wouldn't be a mosque or terror group house standing unburnt from Maine to Miramar.

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  13. I'll play - I'm going to take a shot at an intertoobs derp award by suggesting possible answers to your questions. Not saying they're likely, just possible. Kind of a devil's advocate thing.

    1) Could have had that many guns in there to show to someone, maybe to sell some? Maybe he thought a side benefit after he was dead would be to get all the shops he bought them from some heat? Otherwise, why not have ALL his guns up there? 42 isn't that many more guns than 23. (This pre-supposes someone else was there, and he's a patsy.)

    2) Good question. Shooting is more fun than crashing? He was more scared of dying in flames than by self-inflicted gunshot wound? But then, why not do the gas thing and fly to Mexico. This argues for suicidal.

    3) The crowd was much easier to hit from where he was. Acres of meaty backstop. Also, maybe he didn't think of shutting down the boulevard. I have a pretty good imagination, and I didn't think of that until you mentioned it. Though I might have had I planned this and meant to escape. More argument for suicidal.

    4) No ideas on this one.

    5) He was scared of being taken alive after a couple of flash bangs?

    6) See number 5.

    7) No ideas on this one.

    8) He's buying her off out of the country. The rest of his stuff will be locked down, but he's dead, so he doesn't care.

    9) He's worried he'll be spotted before he pulls it off.

    10-16) Damning questions. I want to know this, too.

    17) "We're the fibbies! Bow before our glorious crime-solving power!"

    Score: Weetabix 8; Aesop 9 (pending the decision of the judges since I didn't weave one big shiny theory that covered everything)

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  14. Oops. Missed #18:

    18) I'm not opposed to John Ringo's hand-waving. I've seen odd mental shifts in a couple of older relatives that got cleaned up when they were convinced to talk to their doctors about adjusting their meds. My dad went through some mental oddness with heart/blood pressure meds and valium. They cleared up after I had him see his doctor. Haddock was what, 64? And maybe lead a life of dissolution in the casinos. I'd bet he had plenty of prescriptions.

    All tied up!

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  15. As far as mental shifts go, I know a woman who went from sweet to viciously nasty, then back after the brain tumor was removed. A close relative went nutso and got better after I took him in, that turned out to be mold sensitivity. That one was a real witch to figure out, by the way.

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  16. The audio is about rate/cadence of fire IMO, not about perfect whatever. Audio that is available seems sufficient for that.
    M240 is ~600 RPM as is an AKM... What other guns are the same? Either/or can be fired with blanks... Maybe some of that occurred? For someone shooting 2k+ rounds (last number I saw) in a fish in a barrel scenario on a hard surface perfect for shrapnel, the casualties seem awfully low: 560 casualties including presumably a many of folks with injuries from crowd/escape and/or rounds hitting surface and shrapnel the bullet and concrete/asphalt that could injure more than 1 person...

    I am not suggesting that a belt fed MG was in fact at the scene. I am just looking at things that raise red flags. Welcome to do with them what you want. More info is better less as fact is shifted from fiction. And as you mentioned, there are a lot of questions...

    I would think if LE thought they had this in the bag/a solid explanation the info would all be released to the public. Maybe they are stumped too? Maybe they are covering for some dot gov failure? Etc theories? There should be no shortage of of camera footage. See the alleged vehicle checkin at a valet on the 25th I posted earlier -- not like in the old days where VHS tapes were constantly written over. Hard drives are cheap and many hours, days, weeks, months can almost certainly be stored...

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  17. *Wow, re-reading, spelling/grammar errors on previous not indicative of underlying logic or thought... Should have re-read that before posting esp when rushing through multiple things at once...

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  18. A significant point I was making in my near-incoherent rambling above was that, based on #s I have seen, ~2k rounds were fired during the shooting. He's shooting at a crowd of 20k people located in the open with no cover standing on a hard surface of concrete/asphalt.

    One should expect that every round not hitting a person should strike the hard surface and either ricochet, fragment into shrapnel, and/or produce surface-originating shrapnel (for sake of argument, let's just say rock). Every bullet hitting the hard surface should produce at least ~2.5x more projectiles from point of impact than originally exited the gun. Recognizing, how are are there only 600 injured?

    Were blanks used? -- if they want to ban our guns, it's not like actual bullets have to be shot the whole time...

    Was the crowd and airport in fact the only targets? Were rounds sent elsewhere? How wide of a search area is there for gunshot damage?

    Could this have been a distraction for an Oceans whatever style casino heist or other operation, etc? Many assume that this is false flag to ban guns/liberty. Let's say it's a distraction -- to what other ends?

    Again, just asking questions, but until we get real forensic evidence and numbers to review, that's all the federal, state, and city LE is leaving us with...

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    1. Well, speaking to the robbery theory, you are not going to get into the count room. You could show up with a gun to granny's head, and they are not going to open the door. That leaves the cages. With the advent of ticket in, ticket out technology and cash dispensing machines located throughout the casino, there is not as much cash at the cages as there used to be. About the only action the cage see's anymore is someone cashing in chips. So I don't believe the cages hold near the cash that they used to. I don't think it would be worth the effort put into this to net 50k or so. Not that they don't get robbed anymore. Sams Town down on Bolder Highway gets robbed fairly regularly. But it's usually by some crackhead that pulls a gun, and his partner jumps over the cage, and cleans out the cash drawers. Definitely not the kind of money this op demands.

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    2. BTW, I am not trying to give you a hard time, just playing devils advocate.

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  19. *And ~600 injured # certainly covers a number of folks who were injured during the escape by others or their own haste...

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  20. Calvaryman -- AFAIK, no pictures from the smaller adjacent room with the other shooting hole in the window have been released. What was in there?

    M60s are about the same RPM as M240s, 550 vs 600...

    I agree that the links are an issue and feeds credence to multiple shooters firing from a different location, which -- I agree w/ Aesop -- right now seems to have less credence than most alternatives. In the terrible cellphone videos, I think I'm able to see some gunsmoke exiting from the 32nd floor as well but maybe I'm mistaken. Doesn't mean they aren't necessarily blanks, but nevertheless someone was shooting out of that room almost certainly if what I believe to be smoke is correct...

    Also, the gun by the entry door to main suite appears to be a DD .308 as well looking closer. No mag in the magwell, but positioned oddly if that's the gun he used to shoot at security guard, cops, etc... I would think a gun guy wanting penetration would use an AK rather than a scoped .308 in that location if wanting intermediate barrier penetration, high capacity, and fast sighting rather than that option... DD .308 also looks to have at least an 18" barrel which is detrimental to maneuverability...

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  21. Concerning using his girlfriend's credit card - he obviously had to know it would be connected, but perhaps was simply using it to keep from getting located too quickly, before he was able to complete whatever he was actually trying to do.

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    1. Maybe she had more points on her card than he did. It might be something as simple as that.

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  22. One other thing, I mentioned before that a lot of crazy shit happen at some of the other casinos on the strip at the same time. In addition to the chase through the Luxor, and gunfire being reported at the MGM, Tropicana, New York, New York. There is a strange video floating around of the casino floor at Ceasers being evacuated in a panic. Ceasers is almost 2 miles up the street. No way they would have heard gun shots 2 miles away inside the hotel. Now I understand that word travels fast, and someone could have called down there. But has anyone considered that all this shit might have been a diversion to slow down the response time of the cops? All that shit happing at once all over, speaks to the theory that there were more people involved. Strange that the news has made no mention of this other stuff. I saw the video, it was pandemonium. People took off running leaving chips on the tables.

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  23. >>>But if word got out that terrorists had smuggled belt-fed medium MGs into the US, and that using them was the new normal, there likely wouldn't be a mosque or terror group house standing unburnt from Maine to Miramar.

    Anyone recall that during Bill Clinton's reign, the Chinese were caught shipping in a container load of rifles. Bill made some excuse for it, can't remember what. Oh, maybe he thought the blacks in Watts did it.

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  24. I've also been confused by people who ask how he got that stuff into his room. Any AR is easily broken down to half length. Ammo and pistols and cameras are small. Not sure why the confusion.

    Also, I've had to explain to people that using the weapons he was, the targets were only at about medium range. Well within the capability to do damage to people. I've also told them that he actually did far less damage than he could have. Especially for the amount of time the cops left him with.

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  25. I think it's obvious he had no intention to escape. What's the point if you leave 20 + firearms behind traceable to yourself.

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    1. Lombardo said in his press conference that "we know he definitely had planned on escaping". He didn't elaborate on how they came to that conclusion.

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  26. Timeline of the shooting w/ synchronized videos: https://youtu.be/t2uEKUc0_Vc
    They lit up the venue! I counted about 12 strings of fire int that video but not all seemed to be 100 rounds.

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  27. @Richard Watson

    I think it's obvious we have no idea what he was thinking, because no one could get away with this after leaving 20+ weapons registered to them at the crime scene.

    The only problem with that is it's contrary to the entire rest of his life, and we still have no motive whatsoever to do this in the first place.

    The fact that you think he meant to die in place, and Sheriff Lombardo is telling us he planned to get away with it, just underlines that nothing we're being told matches anything we've seen.

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