Conspiracy buff killed trying to recreate Vegas shooting
Mel Jona, A man driven to the brink of insanity, attempted a step-by-step recreation of the tragic Vegas shooting to prove it couldn’t be done by one person. Using money obtained through a crowdfunding effort, in which he promised funders he would “perform thorough ballistics and acoustic tests of the incident”, he purchased 30 fully automatic airsoft rifles that were similar in appearance to the AR-style weapons used by Paddock. These rifles shoot 6mm plastic BBs instead of bullets.
He placed the entire arsenal of toy guns in duffle bags and drove to the Platinum Rollers Casino in Las Vegas, certain they would be discovered while checking in. The unreleased CCTV footage is said to show the bellman loading the bags on the cart and taking them up to Jona’s room on the 7th floor of the building. Jona than wired the room and hallway with cameras to record his actions. He stepped out into the hallway and fired a few bursts from the airsoft guns. He then went back into his room and shattered the window with the iron in the room. He waited, certain he was going to be arrested. After fifteen minutes, he began firing at the little league game across the street. The BBs did not reach their targets so he began screaming, “bang, bang, bang” out the window. Eventually, someone noticed him holding the toy gun, which 7 floors down, appeared real. The pedestrian alerted the police. Jona was able to hit one woman walking her dog with a burst from his rifle. Stephanie Wilson told us
“I thought I was being attacked by bees. They were all over me, coming from everywhere. It wasn’t until I saw the report on the local news and found plastic balls in my hair that I realized what happened.”
When the police arrived, they sealed the building and called in SWAT. Fresh from the real shooting and fearing a copycat, SWAT was able to mobilize and arrive in just under an hour. They made entry after a concussion grenade was thrown in the room. Jona was shot three times before falling out the window. Upon seeing leaked photos of the crimes scene, his funders have expressed disbelief. Mike Badams told us
“It’s fake. The blood doesn’t look real. There’s no way he would have landed in that position. They killed Mel because he was going to expose them.”
An angry mob of supporters gathered at the local police department demanding justice. The department allowed them to view Jona’s own videos. The crowd was undeterred claiming they were the work of actors hired on Craigslist. The Sheriff produced Amazon records where Jona ordered the airsoft guns in his girlfriend’s name. It was no use. Those too were fabricated. The crowd cited Ms. Wilson’s testimony about multiple attackers as proof of the conspiracy.
Jona’s YouTube records have been of much interest to local law enforcement as they view video after video alleging a cover-up. The Sheriff said, “I really wanted to understand what was going on in Jona’s mind. I watched the same videos he did. I’m convinced now that I am part of a conspiracy to cover this up.” The Sheriff later took his own life. A note at the scene that was originally believed to be a suicide note turned out to be timestamps from important videos.