Las Vegas shooter booked hotel during Lollapalooza: report

WASHINGTON: The Las Vegas gunman who carried out the worst mass shooting in recent US history had booked a Chicago hotel overlooking the Lollapalooza music festival in August, the website TMZ reported on Thursday.

Stephen Paddock had booked two rooms at the Blackstone Hotel in downtown Chicago, overlooking an expansive park where the popular music festival took place over four days in August, TMZ reported.

While the website said Paddock never showed up for his booking, the report suggested a scenario that would have been similar to the Las Vegas Strip concert Sunday night.

Paddock rained bullets down on concert-goers from a nearby hotel tower, killing 58 and injuring hundreds more.

“We are aware of the media reports and have been in communication with our federal partners,” Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement.

The hotel management company did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Hundreds of thousands attended the August music festival at Chicago’s Grant Park, including Malia Obama, the former president’s daughter.

The Blackstone is a historic luxury hotel where heads of state including former president Jimmy Carter, and artists such as Nat King Cole and Rudolph Valentino have stayed.