Marilou Danley, the girlfriend of the Las Vegas gunman, said Wednesday in a statement delivered by her attorney that she had not perceived any warning that he was planning to commit a mass shooting.
Stephen Paddock, a 64-year-old retired accountant, left 58 people dead and 527 injured when he opened fire on a crowd of 22,000 concertgoers, police say. His attack appears to have been meticulously planned, but Paddock left few clues as to his motive, and investigators had been hopeful that Danley would provide more information.
Danley, who had been in the Philippines visiting family at the time of the shooting, arrived back in the US late on Tuesday and was interviewed by the FBI on Wednesday.
"I knew Stephen Paddock as a kind, caring, quiet man. I loved him and hoped for a quite future together with him," Danley said in the statement read to media by her attorney. "He never said anything to me, or took any action that I was aware of that I understood in any way to be a warning that something horrible like this was going to happen."
Danley's statement said Paddock had purchased her a ticket to the Philippines roughly two weeks ago, and told her to visit her family. She said he wired her some money, which she believed to be a way of breaking up with her.
"It never occurred to me in any way whatsoever that he was planning violence against anyone," Danley said in the statement.
She added that she was "devastated" for those who were killed or injured in the shooting.
"I have faith in God and I will continue to pray for everyone who has been harmed or hurt. I am a mother and a grandmother, and my heart breaks for all who have lost loved ones," she said.
Watch a clip of Danley's statement below:
Girlfriend of Vegas shooter says "never occurred to me in any way" that Paddock was planning violence, in statement. https://t.co/VGsN99qnEM
— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 4, 2017
The full statement, as read by her attorney, is below:
"I am devastated by the deaths and injuries that have occurred. And my prayers go out to the victims and their families, and all those who have been hurt by these awful events. I have faith in God and I will continue to pray for everyone who has been harmed or hurt.
"I am a mother and a grandmother, and my heart breaks for all who have lost loved ones. I knew Stephen Paddock as a kind, caring, quiet man. I loved him and hoped for a quite future together with him. He never said anything to me, or took any action that I was aware of that I understood in any way to be a warning that something horrible like this was going to happen.
"A little more than two weeks ago Stephen told me he had found a cheap ticket for me to the Philippines and that he wanted me to take a trip home to see my family. Like all Filipinos abroad, I was excited to go home and see family and friends. While there, he wired me money, which he said was for me to buy a house for me and my family. I was grateful, but honestly I was worried at first that the unexpected trip home and then the money was a way of breaking up with me.
"It never occurred to me in any way whatsoever that he was planning violence against anyone. I have not made a statement until because I have been cooperating with the authorities and I voluntarily flew back to America because I knew the FBI and the Las Vegas Police Department wanted to talk to me, and I wanted to talk to them. I will cooperate fully with their investigation. Anything I can do to help ease suffering, and help in any way, I will do. Please respect my privacy and my family's privacy. Thank you."
SEE ALSO: Marilou Danley, girlfriend of Las Vegas shooter, is back in the US — here's what we know about her
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source http://www.businessinsider.com/marilou-danley-stephen-paddock-girlfriend-las-vegas-shooting-2017-10
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