Las Vegas gunman booked hotel in Chicago in August: Reports

Police in Chicago in the US state of Illinois were investigating into media reports that said the Las Vegas gunman reserved two rooms at a hotel overlooking Lollapalooza music festival crowd in downtown Chicago in early August.

TMZ, a US celebrity news website, reported on Thursday that Stephen Paddock booked two rooms on the park side of the Blackstone Hotel with a clear view of the Lollapalooza, which drew hundreds of thousands of music fans every year at Grant Park in Chicago, Xinhua reported.

Two months later, Paddock booked rooms at the 32nd floor in the Mandalay Bay hotel and fired at the crowd attending a music festival, leaving 58 people killed and more than 500 injured.

Paddock booked one room for August 1, 2017, two days before the festival kicked off and then booked a second room for August 3. Both rooms had an August 6 checkout and that's when Lollapalooza festival ended, TMZ reported.

No evidence has shown whether he showed up in the hotel at that time.

The Chicago Police Department said that it was aware of the media report about the Blackstone Hotel booking during Lollapalooza and is tightening security plans for upcoming major events happening in Chicago, including the Chicago Marathon this Sunday.

"As you saw earlier this week, the city conducts extensive public safety planning and training around major events, in close coordination with our law enforcement partners, to ensure public safety," a statement from Chicago Police Department was cited as saying.

Emmy Carragher, public relation officer for Blackstone Hotel, said there was no guest under that name who stayed at their hotel in August during the Lollapalooza music festival.

--IANS

sku/