The latest batch of evidence released by the Las Vegas Metro Police Department shows a veteran police officer standing idle for several minutes as the gunman Stephen Paddock mowed down concertgoers from his sniper position on the 32nd floor. The Metropolitan Police Department has initiated an investigation into the actions, and inactions, of the officers.
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The veteran police officer standing idle in apparent fear is Cordell Hendrex who is being investigated along with the rest of the city's police department. The Las Vegas shooting left 58 people dead and 500 injured when Stephen Paddock opened fire with high-tech rifles from a sniper perch at the Mandalay Bay.
Carla Alston, a spokesperson for the department, said, "Every officer’s actions that night are being evaluated. One of the things Sheriff [Joseph] Lombardo has said from the beginning is that this is an ongoing investigation. Part of that investigation is the evaluation of the performance, actions, and conduct of every officer and civilian employee involved in the incident."
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The video footage of Hendrex has been compared to the actions of Deputy Scot Peterson, the former school resource officer who was labeled a coward for failing to intervene during the Parkland High School shooting. Similarly to Hendrex, surveillance footage shows Peterson standing idle outside of the school while people were slaughtered by ex-student Nikolas Cruz.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Officer Cordell Hendrex was the first officer at Mandalay Bay. He was with Officer Elif Varsin, on her second day of training.<br><br>“I know I hesitated and remember being terrified with fear and I think that I froze right there in the middle of the hall for how long I can’t say.” <a href="https://t.co/UlIBpLUIPG">pic.twitter.com/UlIBpLUIPG</a></p>— Adam Herbets (@AdamHerbets) <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamHerbets/status/999451103157665794?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The footage shows Hendrex leading a police trainee and three Mandalay Bay security guards to the source of the gunfire, which in itself is brave when you consider that most people run from the gunfire. The brave men and women of our law enforcement run toward the danger every day. Hendrex can be seen directing the group with their handguns drawn just one floor below the shooter. "Holy s—. That's rapid-fire," Hendrex can be heard saying. "Oh my God," he added before letting out a tense sigh.
In a subsequent interview, Hendrex said, "I could feel my mouth was extremely dry and cotton mouth and I had no spit I also felt myself starting to get tunnel vision and I can remember concentrating on tactical breathing to calm myself." A retired Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Lt. named Randy Sutton said Hendrex's actions were not enough.
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"The body cam footage that came out, it’s really disturbing… and you know it’s frustrating to me both as a retired police officer, especially with Metro, to see this made public and to feel the frustration that he didn’t do anything, that he just froze, even by his own report, was so frightened that he didn’t do anything," Sutton said. "And not only him but since he was the senior officer, the trainee that was with him didn’t act nor did the security people because they were waiting for his lead."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Report from Officer E. Varsin. 10/1 was her second day of training. <br><br>She and Officer C. Hendrex were the first two officers inside Mandalay Bay. She says they were told to respond to the 31st floor. <br><br>At a certain point they posted up in the stairwell until SWAT arrived. <a href="https://t.co/yAXG2WirqC">pic.twitter.com/yAXG2WirqC</a></p>— Adam Herbets (@AdamHerbets) <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamHerbets/status/999495441942134784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2018</a></blockquote>
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"The brave men and woman of our law enforcement run toward the danger every day." you meant WOMEN* not 'woman', you stupid, illiterate, uneducated piece of shit… Also, you said 'OUR' law enforcement, but the turdwater is run from THE PHILIPPINES, not America. You're a worthless amateur, and that's why you can't get a real job. You're stupid as shit, and that's how you ended up being paid from PIG FARM PROFITS by a slob with gynecomastia, and your 'bonus' won't be money, it will be bullets and gasoline!!! HAHAHAHAHA you fucking BUM
All I can say is WOW thes guys dropped the ball, they could have stopped this shit a lot earlier. All that cop can say is explicit- oh my god at the 3rd burst of fire that should never have happened if they would have confronted paddock. Even if they got into a firefight w/ paddock it would have spared innocent civilians as they would be receiving the fire. A perfect example of the type person that does not belong on the dept.