The Las Vegas shooter fired "incendiary" rounds at a fuel tank near his hotel room in an apparent attempt to ignite an explosion, two law enforcement sources told CNN.
The bullets, which are meant to ignite upon contact, were found inside Stephen Paddock’s hotel room at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.
According to the sources, the room was located near a 43,000-barrel fuel tank at the McCarran International Airport near the festival.
It recently came to light that Paddock had fired bullets at the jet fuel tank before opening fire on the outdoor country music festival, killing 58 people and injuring almost 500 more before taking his own life.
However, authorities did not disclose the use of incendiary rounds.
In a statement released to the Las Vegas Review Journal, McCarran International Airport spokesman Chris Jones confirmed that two rifle rounds struck a single 43,000-barrel fuel tank.
The two law enforcement sources, whose identities remain anonymous, told CNN that the incendiary rounds had been recovered near the tank but it has not been established whether the bullets that struck the tank were also explosive bullets.
In addition to this, the investigators said tracer rounds had been recovered in Paddock’s room.
These bullets enable the shooter to follow the path of trajectory by igniting a flame when fired but it is not clear whether these rounds were used during the attack.
Investigators are working to piece together various pieces of information to establish exactly how and why events unfolded that fateful night.
The initial timeline was altered on Monday after officials announced that Paddock had opened fire on a security guard six minutes before he fired at the crowd, Reuters noted.
It is also reported that Paddock had been spotted on numerous occasions in Las Vegas in the days and hours leading up to the mass shooting, making it difficult for investigators to find answers.
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