‘I’m Doing Better Each Day.’ Wounded Las Vegas Security Guard Breaks Silence After Shooting

Jesus Campos, the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino security guard who was shot during the beginning moments of Stephen Paddock’s October 1 shooting spree in Las Vegas, will break his silence over the events of that day on an episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show set to air Wednesday.

Campos, 25, told host Ellen DeGeneres during taping that, while on the hotel’s 31st floor that day, he was asked to investigate a door left ajar one floor above. After being blocked by a separate jammed door on his way, he found an alternate route and called a building engineer to unstick that door. Shortly thereafter, Paddock opened fire through yet another door, shooting Campos in the leg as he walked down the 32nd floor hallway before turning his gun on concertgoers at a country music show below.

“I was walking down and heard rapid fire,” Campos told DeGeneres. “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.”

Prior to his Ellen appearance, Campos cancelled several scheduled media appearances amid confusion over his story. Initial reports said Campos was shot minutes after Paddock’s rampage, and suggested that he may have been the one who stopped the shooter. But early last week, Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo amended his timeline to say that Campos was shot six minutes before the wider attack began. MGM, which operates the Mandalay Bay, then put forth a statement on October 12 saying Campos was shot within 40 seconds of the beginning of the spree, an account the sheriff and Campos have since corroborated.

“I’m doing better each day,” Campos told DeGeneres. “Slowly but surely, just healing physically and mentally.”

Snippets from Campos’ appearance on “Ellen” were first obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.