Earlier this week, LawNewz and other outlets reported on the curious circumstances surrounding hotel security guard Jesus Campos, who was involved in the response to the shooting carried out by Stephen Paddock at the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas. Campos, who was injured during the shooting, was set to make a series of television appearances, but then canceled them. Conflicting reports surfaced regarding his whereabouts, and the ensuing confusion, led to the belief that he was missing. Now, however, he is being advertised as appearing on Wednesday’s Ellen program.
Tomorrow, the first people to encounter the Las Vegas shooter are here – security guard Jesus Campos and building engineer Stephen Schuck. pic.twitter.com/dDmjzN6xBx
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) October 18, 2017
David Hickey, the president of Campos’ union, told LawNewz just hours prior to the Ellen tweet that he had been with Campos last week while he prepared for another scheduled TV appearance that didn’t happen. Hickey had left Campos to attend a meeting, and when he returned, Campos was gone, he said. Hickey said that Campos had been taken to a Quick Care medical facility, but a Quick Care representative reportedly had no record of this. That contradiction led to speculation that Campos was missing, and Hickey said that he hadn’t heard from Campos for days.
On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Times got word from an MGM Resorts International spokesperson that indicated that Campos was not missing after all. “Jesus Campos wants to tell his story at a time and place of his choosing,” representative Debra DeShong said in a statement. “He’s asked that everyone respect his request for privacy. We could not be more proud of Jesus.”
Apparently, the time and place of Campos’ choosing is an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, which was pre-recorded, but set to air on Wednesday.
During the interview, Campos described his experience when responding to the shooting, including when he himself was shot.
“As I was walking down, I heard rapid fire,” he said. “And at first I took cover. I felt a burning sensation. I went to go lift my pant leg up and I saw the blood. That’s when I called it in on my radio that shots have been fired.”
As far as his current condition, Campos said, “I’m doing better each day, slowly but surely. Just healing mentally and physically.”
Note: This article has been updated to include quotes from Campos’ interview.
[Image via screengrab]
