While there are still relatively few details about the man responsible for the deadliest mass shooting in US history, or his motive to kill at least 50 people and injure over 400 people, here is what we know so far.
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Who Was Las Vegas Shooter Stephen Paddock And What Was His Motive?
While there are still relatively few details about the man responsible for the deadliest mass shooting in US history, or his motive to kill at least 50 people and injure over 400 people, here is what we know so far, courtesy of the Telegraph and other public data sources.
The gunman responsible for the worst mass shooting in modern US history is believed to be a grandfather who lived in a remote desert home, reports Telegraph’s Leon Watson. Stephen Paddock, 64, was named by police as the perpetrator who left more than 50 dead. He was killed when officers blasted their way into his hotel room. Las Vegas police said they had located “numerous firearms within the room that he occupied.” Las Vegas Sheriff Lombardo said officers had confronted Paddock on the 32nd floor across the street from the concert. “There were at least 8 guns and a number of long rifles in the alleged shooter’s room”, per Las Vegas Police Undersheriff Kevin McMahill.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, the brother of the Las Vegas shooter said that he was a normal guy who must have “snapped.” Eric Paddock said that ‘something happened’ to make his brother Stephen kill at least 50 people and injure 200. Eric said that there was ‘absolutely no indication he could do something like this’ and said that Stephen had no political or religious affiliation.
He said: ‘He was just a guy. Something happened, he snapped or something’. Speaking from his home in Orlando, Florida, Eric said: ‘We know absolutely nothing, this is just, we are dumbfounded. We have absolutely no idea. Our condolences go to the victims and all their families’.
Eric said that he and Stephen, 64, lived on different coasts – Stephen’s last address was in Mesquite, Nevada – and that they did not speak that often. He said that his mother was ‘in shock’ and struggling to cope with the news.
He said: “Our family is OK, we’re sitting in here in our house hoping that everyone doesn’t attack us.”
‘He’s my brother, we don’t have a very close relationship but we talk occasionally. There’s no rhyme or reason here, it makes no sense’. He said: ‘She has nothing to do with this, at least from my perspective. ‘He was just a guy. Something happened, he snapped or something, he was just a guy.
‘He has no political affiliation, no religious affiliation, as far as we know. This wasn’t a terror attack’.
* * *
In the latest police update, Las Vegas undersheriff Kevin McMahill confirmed that Stephen Paddock died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound as police made entry to his Las Vegas hotel room. He also confirmed that Paddock, who is believed to have checked into the hotel on Thursday, had more than 10 guns.
McMahill added that Marilou Danley is overseas and that officers have made contact with her. She is believed to be Australian and of Indonesian origin.
Where was he from?
Paddock is reported to have lived in a retirement village in Mesquite, Nevada, since June 2016 and was born on April 9, 1953. It is claimed he previously lived in Reno, Nevada, from 2011 to 2016, and also had an address in Melbourne, Florida, from 2013 to 2015. He has also lived in Henderson, Nevada, and several locations in California since 1990, it is reported.
Mesquite is located about 80 miles, or an hour and 16 minutes, away from Las Vegas, along Nevada’s border with Arizona. Mesquite, a city in Clark County, is home to about 17,400 people, including several retirement communities, along with casinos and golf courses.
Did he act alone?
Despite initial reports of multiple gunmen, police do not believe at this time that there were any other attackers. Sheriff Joseph Lombardo, of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, described Paddock as a “lone wolf”. Officers were initially seeking his traveling companion – Marilou Danley – who has now been located. She is believed to have been his roommate, however the police have since announced they do not believe she was involved in the shooting.
At this stage, Paddock does not have any known ties to terrorist organization and no motive has been put forward. When asked by a reporter if it was an act of terrorism, Sheriff Lombardo said: “No, not at this point. We believe it was a local individual. He resides here locally.
“I’m not at liberty to give you his place of residence yet, because it’s an ongoing investigation, we don’t know what his belief system was at this time. … Right now we believe he is the sole aggressor at this point and the scene is static.”
Was Paddock known to authorities?
NBC reports that he was. But public records do not show any criminal convictions for Paddock in Nevada. Mesquite Police told CBS News that he was not known to them, and that he lived in a retirement community, is a white male and wasn’t a military veteran.
What was his motive?
He was not believed to be connected to any militant group, Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo told reporters.
“We have no idea what his belief system was,” Lombardo said. “We’ve located numerous firearms within the room that he occupied.”
How did he die?
According to Las Vegas undersheriff Kevin McMahill, Stephen Paddock died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound as police made entry to his Las Vegas hotel room. He also confirmed that Paddock, who is believed to have checked into the hotel on Thursday, had more than 10 guns.
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