MGM makes statement about Las Vegas shooting timeline — it adds another wrinkle to investigation

The casino company that owns the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas is publicly disputing the revised timeline of the Las Vegas shooting issued by police.

What did they say?

MGM Resorts International said in a statement Tuesday that they are not certain about the latest timeline released by investigators late Monday.

MGM Resorts spokeswoman Debra DeShong said: "This remains an ongoing investigation with a lot of moving parts. As evidenced by law enforcement briefings over the past week, many facts are still unverified and continue to change as events are under review. We cannot be certain about the most recent timeline that has been communicated publically, (sic) and we believe what is currently being expressed may not be accurate."

It wasn't immediately clear which parts of the official timeline the company disputes. TheBlaze has reached out to MGM for comment. A representative for strategic communication firm Joele Frank responded and said that MGM's intentions are not to undermine law enforcement, but rather to "mirror" them. The representative pointed to comments Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo made on KLAS-TV this week.

What do police say happened?

Lombardo said Monday the Vegas shooter, Stephen Paddock, fired more than 200 shots into a hallway on the 32nd floor at a security guard, injuring him, about six minutes before he opened fire on concertgoers at a country music festival outside his window.

Lombardo also revealed that Paddock stopped shooting at the concertgoers after only 10 minutes, despite the fact that a SWAT team didn't breach his hotel room door for more than another hour. Police don't know why Paddock stopped shooting when he did.

Some important questions:

1. Given the depth of security each casino in Las Vegas employs, is it reasonable to assume MGM may know something that investigators aren't releasing to the public?
2. If not, why else would they dispute the timeline?
3. It's unusual for a company to publicly dispute police reports like MGM did. Is it possible MGM is releasing information to the public in an attempt to control a narrative? If so, what?

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect a response from strategic communications firm Joele Frank.