LAS VEGAS: Three months before killing 58 people and wounding more than 500 in Las Vegas last October, the gunman behind the deadliest mass shooting in US history sent emails discussing buying bump stocks, which can make semiautomatic rifles fire hundreds of rounds a minute, media reports on unsealed search warrants showed.
Bump stocks believed to be used in the massacre were found in the 32nd-floor hotel room from where Stephen Paddock fired down on a crowd gathered on a Sunday night for the finale of a country music festival held on the Las Vegas Strip.
The details suggesting the attack may have planned months in advance were part of more than 300 pages of search warrants unsealed by a federal judge in Nevada on Friday, according to the Los Angeles Times, one of several publications that sought release of the documents.
Reuters was unable to obtain a copy of the documents on Friday night.
The unsealed documents do not provide a motive for the killings, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Paddock shot and killed himself before police arrived at his hotel room the night of the shootings.
The documents also showed that Paddock’s girlfriend, Marilou Danley, told investigators before they searched a house that the two shared that they might find her fingerprints on ammunition “because she occasionally participated in loading magazines,” the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
In the days after the shootings, authorities called Danley a “person of interest.” Her attorney has said she had no inkling of Paddock’s plans.
Documents posted online by the Review-Journal showed that FBI agents sought information from Microsoft and Facebook regarding the accounts held by Paddock and Danley.
Microsoft and Facebook did not immediately respond to emails and calls from Reuters on Friday night.
An unsealed search warrant shows that an email sent July 6, 2017 from an account linked to Paddock to an address that he may also have controlled discusses the use of bump stocks “for a thrill,” according to an affidavit posted by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The emails also mentioned trying out an AR-style rifle before purchasing one.
The Los Angeles Times reported that investigators are not sure why Paddock would send emails between accounts he controlled, or whether one was controlled by another person, which would mean, “investigators need to determine who was communicating with him about weapons that were used in the attack,” one of the warrants said.
Las Vegas gunman emailed about bump stocks months before rampage: Documents
Las Vegas gunman emailed about bump stocks months before rampage: Documents
From round fruits to lucky charms: How Filipinos invite prosperous New Year
- Lights are lit, doors and windows open to allow good spirits in
- Sticky rice dishes are served to keep family sticking together
MANILA: With the dining table set with symbolic foods, a bit of noise and rituals to invite good luck, Filipinos are ready to welcome the New Year, carefully observing every tradition and superstition to bring prosperity.
Media noche or the midnight dinner on New Year’s Eve is central to the celebration. Besides traditional meats, there will be sticky rice dishes to keep the family sticking together, and pancit or long rice noodles to represent long life.
There should also be 13 round fruits prepared specifically for the occasion, with 12 representing each month of the year, and the 13th adding extra luck. Because they are round like coins, they are believed to invite abundance, wealth and prosperity.
“We cook bilo-bilo (sticky rice balls) with coconut milk and palitaw (sweet rice cakes). It’s something we simply grew up with,” said Cel Reyes from Mabini in Batangas province, south of Manila.
“It’s sticky, so it symbolizes togetherness, and it is also round. Anything that’s round is prepared also as a symbol of prosperity.”
In Malabon, a coastal city in the northern part of Metro Manila, Priam Nepomuceno’s 86-year-old mother-in-law sets unhulled rice on the table.
“Because of the gold color, it’s believed to bring luck and abundance,” he said. “Grapes are also hung on the door. They’re not meant to be eaten and are kept hanging for the whole year as a symbol of prosperity.”
Some people also jump when the clock strikes 12, believing it will help them grow taller.
In many households, all lights are lit before midnight, with doors and windows open to allow good spirits to enter, while noise from firecrackers and party horns keeps the bad ones at bay.
“By nature, Filipinos are superstitious. We believe in good luck, deities. We give in to faith and luck, and it’s tied to deep spirituality,” said Juanita Galang-Trinidad, an 80-year-old editor from Bulacan province north of Manila.
“We also put 12 coins in varying amounts in our pockets and wear polka dot clothing. Rice, cereal, and salt containers should be full.”
New Year’s celebrations, like Christmas, bring families together, but with extra traditions for good luck. Beyond the midnight feast and keeping round objects on the table and at hand, Filipinos try to pay off debts to avoid financial trouble in the coming year.
On New Year’s Eve, they also avoid serving chicken, as chickens are believed to scratch backward when they eat, symbolically scratching away good fortune.
“We hold on to our traditions despite these growing changes, modernity, in our environment,” Trinidad said.
“We still hold on to our traditions and customs because they identify us as a people, as Filipinos.”
