Las Vegas police have identified Stephen Paddock, 64, from Mesquite, Nevada, as the gunman in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
Authorities believe Paddock shot into a crowd of 22,000 people attending an outdoor concert, killing 58 and wounded hundreds more before before he killed himself in a hotel room that overlooked the area.
At least 10 guns were found in the room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort, police said. He had checked into the hotel room on Thursday, according to authorities.
Police stand at the scene of a shooting along the Las Vegas Strip, Oct. 2, 2017, in Las Vegas.
Motive
A motive for the deadly attack is not known. Police said Paddock did not have a criminal history; the FBI added that he had no connection to any international terrorist group. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, but did not provide any evidence for the claim.
“We know nothing. If you told me an asteroid fell it would mean the same to me. There is absolutely no sense, no reason he did this,” his brother Eric Paddock told the Washington Post. “He is just a guy who played video poker, and took cruises, and ate burritos at Taco Bell. There is no political affiliation that we know of. There is no religious affiliation that we know of.”
What neighbors say
Neighbors in Nevada described the retired Paddock, who lived in a town about 130 kilometers from Las Vegas, as a prickly personality and avid gambler who lived with his girlfriend, Marilou Danley.
Authorities initially said they were searching for Danley as a person of interest in the investigation. They later said she had been located and was in police custody, but they do not believe she was involved in the shooting. | voanews