BOULDER CITY (KTNV) — The El Rancho Boulder is where Dawson Maloney stayed before driving to the power substation about 20 miles south of town.
I was there on Friday and watched as motel staff cleaned out the room.
WATCH | I went back to Boulder City on Saturday to see how locals are reacting to the fact that this whole crazy situation unfolded in their own backyard.
"It's very concerning that it's so close to home, but these days the whole world's upside down. It's always close to somebody's home," said Kurt Gebbers.
Gebbers owns Natural Blum Healing in downtown Boulder City and said he was surprised all this happened in such a quiet town.
"Boulder City's a beautiful little city; it's like stepping back in time 60 years," he said.
That's exactly why Ramon Marquez said he moved to Boulder City when he retired.
"It's so beautiful here in Boulder City," he said.
I asked him how he felt about Boulder City being in the national headlines.
"Yes, I was shocked, especially that close," Marquez said. "It's dangerous for everybody, because you don't know what to expect when you step out of the house."
Here's what we know so far about what happened.
Dawson Maloney, a 23-year-old law student, drove across the country from upstate New York to Southern Nevada, where police say he drove through gates at a power substation, crashing into big industrial wire reels, but officials say, fortunately, no infrastructure at the facility was damaged.
Investigators found Maloney dead at the scene from what they believe to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
A search of Maloney's car and hotel room revealed several guns, ammo, explosives and several books related to both right and left wing extremism, which Sheriff Kevin McMahill said elevates the seriousness of this incident.
"Homeland security remains a top priority for me as your sheriff, and we'll continue to invest in the technology, the people, and the intelligence capability and partnership to stay ahead of this," he said.
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While authorities continue to stress there's no ongoing threat to the public. It's still a main topic of conversation in and around downtown Boulder City.
"I just don't understand all the evil and hatred in America these days; it's very sad," Gebbers said.
But on a busy Saturday downtown, locals tell me it's back to business as usual.
"Otherwise, everything is OK in Boulder City," Marquez said.
There is still a lot we don't know about this case, like why Maloney chose Southern Nevada and what his motive was.
Those are questions we hope to have answered by investigators in the coming days.
