LAS VEGAS — A judge in Las Vegas has ordered police to make public 911 calls, police officer body camera video and several other records that authorities sought to keep secret until they finish their investigation into last year’s mass shooting.
Nevada state court Judge Richard Scotti on Wednesday ruled that the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department must begin releasing records to media organizations that requested them starting hours after the Oct. 1 shooting on the Las Vegas Strip. The department was ordered to redact all identifiable information, including names, Social Security numbers and parts of videos in which people could be easily recognized.
“If the government contended that the requested records were confidential or otherwise protected from disclosure, then the government had a duty to redact confidential information and produce the nonconfidential portions of the records,” Scotti said. “Wholesale withholding of documents with a general claim of confidentiality suggests to this court that records have not been sufficiently scrutinized.”
High-stakes gambler Stephen Paddock killed 58 people and injured hundreds more after he shattered the windows of his hotel suite and unleashed gunfire on a music festival below. He then killed himself.
Police and the FBI have said they believe that Paddock acted alone but have not determined his motive.
Media outlets have sought to obtain police records including dash-cam footage, closed-circuit television video, evidence logs, dispatch information, interview reports and police purchase orders and no-bid contracts related to the investigation.
The department did not respond to some requests and responded to others later than the five-day period in which they are supposed to respond.