Stephen Paddock's Brother Eric Speaks out Again

Eric Paddock, brother of Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock, spoke to reporters for the second time [...]

By Kelsey Patterson

Eric Paddock, brother of Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock, spoke to reporters for the second time on Tuesday in the wake of Sunday's mass shooting.

In the near 30-minute interview, Eric spoke outside his Orlando home, discussing about his family's wealth and Paddock's ability to carry out this act of domestic terror as a lone shooter, acknowledging his brother's intelligence and reclusive nature, CBS News reports.

Still, the 57-year-old said he was having trouble processing "the horror story" after Paddock slaughtered 59 people and injured more than 500 more while perched in a 32nd floor suite in Mandalay Bay hotel.

"My heart is destroyed, for all these people, but I can't tell you why Steve did what he did," Eric told reporters.

"This is what everybody is so scared about right now. When Steve can do this, we are in deep s—t — because there's just nothing there," he continued.

Paddock had no criminal history (unlike his father or brother, Bruce), so his brother says he's struggling to understand what drove him to carry out the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.

"I hope the hell they find — when they do the autopsy — that there's a tumor in his head or something, because if they don't, we're all in trouble," he said.

Throughout the interview, Eric mentioned reports that his brother wired $100,000 to an account in the Philippines, where his girlfriend was located on Oct. 1.

This substantial transfer isn't out of character for Stephen, his brother said.

"We're wealthy people and $100,000 isn't that much money... he gambled that much through a machine in hours."

He said Stephen "helped make me and my family wealthy" and gave money to make their mother's "retirement very comfortable."

Investigators are looking into the possibility that the gunman may have been planning an attack on a different Las Vegas festival one week earlier, a law enforcement source says.

Eric, however, maintains that this type of violence was in his brother's nature.

"He didn't plan this for 35 years. This happened to my brother — whatever caused him to do this — it happened over the course of months. And here is what I say to the people — maybe no one will ever understand Steve," he said.

Photo credit: CBS News

0comments
Start the Conversation

of