Jesus Campos is being recognized as a hero for finding and approaching the room of Stephen Paddock during the Las Vegas mass shooting on Sunday night. This statement was given by Dave Hickey, president of the International Union, Security, Police and Fire Professionals of America.
Very few security guards at the casino and hotel complex are armed, and Campos and others deserve accolades for rushing into the line of fire to stop the killer, said a union rep for the workers. He was found dead by a self-inflicted gunshot wound when they arrived.
Campos was the man who made radio contact with police for help.
Campos, who was unarmed, went to Paddock’s room on the 32nd floor of the hotel to try and stop him from firing.
He says Paddock planned to survive and escape but didn’t reveal how.
Campos was on “random patrol” as a security officer at the hotel when he found the shooter, said Liliana Rodriguez, who identified herself as a coworker of Campos’ at Mandalay Bay on a GoFundMe page she set up for him. Campos was shot in the leg as he tried to enter the room where Paddock had barricaded himself.
As Paddock opened fire on a crowd of 30,000 revellers at the Route 91 music festival, police say he also sprayed 200 rounds of gunfire into the Mandalay Hotel hallway.
The union represents Campos and hundreds of security guards at Mandalay Bay.
Hickey said without the fearless actions of Campos, Paddock’s rampage could have resulted in even more deaths than the 59 reported so far.
The Daily Beast reports Paddock’s attack could have been even more horrific had Campos not intervened.
“It is incredible that the security guard didn’t sustain additional injury”, Lombardo told reporters. A motive is still not known, but police said the shooting was “obviously premeditated”.
“We would not have engaged this individual in the time lapse we did without [the security guard’s] assistance”, Las Vegas Sheriff Joseph Lombardo told the news outlet.