A Las Vegas judge has ordered the release of the full autopsy reports of mass shooter Stephen Paddock, and the 58 victims he killed at a Las Vegas concert on Oct. 1, 2017.
On Jan. 30 a Law Vegas District Court judge ordered the Clark County Coroner John Fudenberg to immediately release the reports, according to the Las Vega Review-Journal.
The coroner’s office on Jan. 31 said it would release redacted versions of the victims’ reports “as soon as possible.” It added that reports for 64-year-old Paddock, which includes a toxicology report, were yet to be completed and will be released in an unredacted form “when finalized,” reported the paper.
In November 2017, the Las Vegas Review-Journal and The Associated Press initiated legal action seeking disclosure of the reports. The coroner’s office fought to keep autopsy reports confidential, says the Review-Journal.
Maggie McLetchie, attorney for the two media outlets in the court case said: “They [the coroner’s office] have delayed this for too long, and whatever stage the coroner’s report on Paddock is in, it should be provided to the Review-Journal and Associated Press without further delay. No more games. Release the records.”
Earlier this year, Paddock was cremated and his remains were given to his brother.
Eric Paddock told the Review-Journal that the coroner had not provided a copy of his brother’s autopsy report.
Families of some of the shooting victims have also expressed frustration over the delay in the reports’ release.
The brother of Andrea Castilla, a 28-year-old Californian woman slain in the shooting, told the paper he was angry that his family had not been given a copy of his sister’s autopsy findings.
“We can’t even get a response from the coroner’s office,” Castilla said. “It’s been over 100 days and I’ve called at least 20 times. I haven’t gotten one call back. I feel like they’re definitely trying to protect someone or themselves.”
In December 2017, the coroner’s office said that each of the victims killed during the shooting died from gunshot wounds, and ruled Paddock’s death a suicide from a shot to the head.
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