Mandalay Bay Security Guard Missing?
Jesus Campos was an unarmed security guard at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas. On the night that Stephen Paddock decided to kill 58 people, Campos approached Paddock’s room on the 32nd floor. He wanted to distract Paddock and possibly save some lives. Campos had managed to divert the shooter’s attention by trying to open the door and enter the room. However, Stephen Paddock shot through the door and injured the security guard.
Despite suffering a gunshot wound to his leg, Campos managed to lead police to Paddock’s room. He acted as a true hero. He also managed to radio the location of the casino and the number of the room where Paddock was. This information being transmitted to the police allowed them to neutralize the shooter shortly after, said Sheriff Joe Lombardo. (Source: “Hotel: Paddock opened fire on crowd within 40 seconds after guard was shot,” CNN, October 13, 2017.)
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But the headlines now don’t speak about his courage. Rather, they say that the Mandalay Bay security guard is missing.
Is Jesus Campos Missing?
Nobody in the media can find Campos. On October 12, he was supposed to have told his story to the world. Several TV outfits were eager to speak to him about his ordeal. But producers and anchors had to change their headlines. Rather than focus on an especially poignant moment of what Campos saw and felt on the night of October 1 in Las Vegas, the media had to report this: “Jesus Campos missing before the interview.”
Rumors and Speculation About “Missing” Mandalay Bay Security Guard
Everyone expected that Campos would break his media silence after the Las Vegas attack, but on the eve of the interviews, he disappeared. The media and the American public consider him a hero, noting that if he had not diverted the attention of the shooter, the number of victims could have been even higher.
The rumors and speculation insinuate that somehow Campos was implicated in Paddock’s shooting rampage. The fact that someone who witnessed and narrowly missed being killed—Campos was shot, after all—would want to avoid the media circus seems odd to some in our celebrity-obsessed world.
Origin of the Rumor
Rather than suggest that the Mandalay Bay security guard might be merely camera-shy, conspiratorial sources suggest that Jesus Campos is has gone AWOL. Ann Coulter was among the first to tweet that Jesus Campos is missing. (Source: “Twitter post,” Ann Coulter Twitter account, October 13, 2017, 7:31 p.m.)
Other sources echoed the rumor. One of them appeared baffled that Campos would miss a scheduled interview with Sean Hannity, no less. That, according to a tweet from Laura Loomer, raises suspicions.
The rumors and suspicions have also been fueled by the understandably confusing information that has emerged about the shooting. One of the controversial details concerns Sherriff Lombardo’s statements. First, he suggested that Paddock shot Campos after he went on his rampage against the Route 91 Harvest Festival concertgoers. Later, the sheriff said that, in fact, Campos was shot before the attack. (Source: “MGM Resorts seems to know location of Jesus Campos,” Las Vegas Review-Journal, October 17, 2017.)
MGM Resorts International, the Mandalay Bay’s parent company, has recently issued a statement to stop the rumors. Has the Las Vegas security guard disappeared? No. MGM says they are proud of Campos and that he is shy. MGM also said that Campos will reveal his story when he is ready. (Source: Ibid.)
And indeed, it appears that Campos is not missing. There is recent news by The Los Angeles Times that Jesus Campos is going to appear on The Ellen DeGeneres Show tomorrow.(Source: “Wounded casino security guard vanishes from Las Vegas — and surfaces on the set of ‘Ellen,'” The Los Angeles Times, October 17, 2017.)
DeGeneres has tweeted an image of the same on her Twitter handle. This means he is not missing. In fact, it may have just been a case of getting the right “deal” for an interview. (Source: “Twitter post,” Ellen DeGeneres Twitter account, October 17, 2017, 10:40 p.m.)
But this has not quelled suspicions among those who have been promoting various theories about the shooting. It could be that those who have been pushing the “Campos is missing” narrative had malicious motives.
