Las Vegas is in the headlines over the last three days for reasons that shouldn’t have been. Stephen Paddock, who loved guns, was a millionaire with interests in real estate deals and also a high-stakes gambler. Paddock decided to do something that will leave him etched in the memories of thousands. Paddock used his collection of guns [23 in all] to open fire on people attending a concert, killing 59 and injuring nearly 530. What could have prompted Paddock who seemingly had everything he wanted to commit a dastardly act of this type?

Mandalay Bay Resort And Casino.

Paddock committed the crime from the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, where he had checked in three days prior to the shooting. He had walked into the resort with 10 suitcases, obviously packed with his guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition. Paddock committed a crime which is presently acknowledged as being one of the worst in US history. Was Paddock mad about something when he finally decided to pull the trigger? Did Paddock even consider the implications of his act when he exhausted magazine after magazine, firing rapid-fire rounds into the crowd? Let us look into the life of Stephen Paddock as published this far to understand whether we can find any indications.

Paddock Checked into The Mandalay Bay Resort And Casino Three Days Prior to The Incident.

Stephen Paddock Provided No Indications He Was A Psychopath Of Any Kind

On the exterior, Paddock did not indicate he was similar to a mass murderer according to Clint Van Zandt, who is a supervisor in the FBI’s behavioral science unit but was a former hostage negotiator. Well, does anyone? Paddock wasn’t displaying signs of any mental illness despite being 64 years of age. Is it a requirement? Paddock had carried 23 guns to the hotel, leaving behind 19 at his home along with a pile of ammunition sufficient to begin a war. The FBI has, however, confirmed they haven’t seen any indicators which could suggest Paddock had intentions to commit homicide or suicide or both. The FBI just confirms Paddock had planned the attack for days which is perhaps rather easy to deduct since Paddock checked into the hotel three days earlier.

The Scene of The Mass Killing In Las Vegas.

The rifles Paddock was carrying had been modified to make them automatic and were also equipped with telescopes. The rifles were capable of firing 400 to 800 rounds of ammunition per minute. Paddock had planned every detail of the dastardly act which he committed from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Casino and Resort and fired into the concert site which is located just off the Las Vegas strip. Paddock knew what he wanted to do and how he would do it but he didn’t have an escape plan, believes the FBI. However, Paddock seemed to have planned for everything because he escaped simply by using the gun on himself.

The Life of Stephen Paddock According to People Close to Him

Eric Paddock Tells Reporters He Is Unable to Understand Anything.

Stephen Paddock was the son of a notorious bank robber who was also a fugitive. Paddock had two ex-wives and a live-in girlfriend when this dastardly act was committed. He was living a comfortable life in a retirement community in Nevada. Paddock wasn’t affiliated with any sect, religion or politics and wasn’t even bothered about such matters. Eric Paddock, the bewildered brother of Stephen, told reporters he wasn’t able to understand anything of what had happened. Stephen Paddock had alternative bouts of weeping and shouting but was also a person who was financially sound and did not hesitate to go on cruises or gamble.

Eric Paddock hadn’t spoken to his brother for nearly 6 months and only received a text message from Stephen after hurricane Irma, as he mentioned to the Associated Press. Their mother was in touch with Stephen a couple of weeks ago when Stephen was told the lady needed a walker which he promptly arranged for and sent to her.

Stephen Paddock also sent text messages to his brother Eric when he won $40,000 on a slot machine but Eric mentioned it was the way he played. Eric has also provided information that his brother was a multimillionaire and together they had business dealings and also owned property. No information about whether Stephen had also accumulated gambling debts is available at this moment.

Benjamin Hoskins Paddock The Only Family Member With A Criminal History.

Stephen Paddock apparently had no criminal history despite his father being a bank robber, who was described as notorious. Benjamin Hoskins Paddock had escaped from a federal prison from Texas in 1968 when Stephen was still in his teens. Benjamin Paddock was described as a psychopath by the FBI and had been serving a 20-year sentence for numerous bank robberies in Phoenix. The senior Paddock managed to lead a life under an assumed name in Oregon for nearly a decade until investigators found him in 1978 when he established Oregon’s first bingo parlor that was licensed.

Stephen Paddock had purchased a three bedroom single-story home for $369,000 in 2015, in the newly built Mesquite, Texas, according to the police. Paddock was also the owner of rental properties numbering three but never had any brush with the law enforcement agencies. He had been married twice and divorced both times, ending the marriages in 1980 and 1990. The only brush Paddock had with the law was in 2012 when he sued the Cosmopolitan Hotel and Resorts in Nevada for a slip and fall accident on a wet floor. The lawsuit was dismissed by the courts and settled by arbitration.

Going through the history of Stephen Paddock, it becomes easy to understand he was a man who had everything he ever wanted including the guns. He was leading a comfortable life, was a millionaire and was having the best of everything including the cruises and the gambling. Why would Stephen Paddock want to become a mass murderer and kill 59 people while injuring 530? Was he trying to comprehend whether the investment he made in guns was worth the money? Was he trying to prove something that law enforcement agencies haven’t been able to comprehend until this moment? The costs of this action will remain etched in the memory of the United States forever as it will in the minds of people that were in some way witness to the incident. 59 innocents have lost their lives and countless others are undergoing treatment for injuries. Thousands of questions are floating around speaking about various theories of why Stephen Paddock committed this act.

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