The domestic terrorist who stole the lives of at least 58 people during an attack in Las Vegas on Sunday was identified as Stephen Paddock, but a look at the man’s life shows no glaring signs of a typical domestic terrorist’s profile.
The 64-year-old gunman was a resident of Nevada who lived in a local retirement community, TMZ reports. The New York Times adds that his residence, which was searched Monday morning, is in Mesquite, Nevada, about 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas.
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Las Vegas police had no criminal record on Paddock other than a routine traffic violation, department under sheriff Kevin McMahill told The Times, and he has had no previous contact with local police in Mesquite.
TMZ found record of Paddock’s hunting license in Alaska, as well as a pilot’s license issued in 2003, noting that he would have undergone physical and mental evaluations to obtain the latter.
Paddock died in his hotel room on the 32nd floor of Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino after firing at the crowd across the street who were attending country singer Jason Aldean’s performance at the Route 91 Harvest Festival.
He killed at least 58 people and injured 500+ during this act of domestic terror, which is now the largest mass shooting in U.S. history.
The shooter’s brother, Eric Paddock, told the Orlando Sentinel that his family is in shock over what transpired Sunday night.
“We are completely dumbfounded,” he said. “We can’t understand what happened.”
He added that the last time he spoke to Stephen was after Hurricane Irma and that he doesn’t understand what happened.
“As they drill into his life, there will be nothing to be found,” Eric told ABC News of his brother, noting that there are “no secrets in his past.”
He told the Daily Mail that “something happened” to make his brother carry out the shooting and said Stephen did not have any religious or political affiliation. “He was just a guy,” he said. “Something happened, he snapped or something.”
Police had been seeking to question the suspect’s girlfriend, 62-year-old Marilou Danley, who appears to have lived with Paddock. Now, authorities do not believe she was involved in the shooting as she was located out of the country.
Still, senior U.S. officials maintain there is no evidence that the shooter was connected to the group, Reuters says.
Photo credit: ABC News
