New FBI files reveal that Las Vegas mass shooter Stephen Paddock killed 60 people and injured hundreds more after losing $1.5 million gambling weeks before the shooting.
An FBI interview with the fellow gambler detailed in the hundreds of pages of documents made public this week suggests his loss may have had an impact.
The other gambler, whose name is withheld in the documents, said he believed stress could have easily caused gunman Stephen Paddock to get injured. Paddock, 64, was a video poker player who relied on gambling as his main source of income.
The revelation comes years after the Las Vegas-based FBI and local police department concluded their investigations without a conclusive motive, though both agencies said Paddock had burned more than $1.5 million, became obsessed with guns, and distanced himself from his girlfriend and family in the months that followed. preceded the massacre.
In a statement Thursday, Las Vegas police defended their inconclusive findings and dismissed the significance of documents released this week in response to the Wall Street Journal’s open records request.
“We were unable to determine the shooter’s motive,” the statement said. “Speculation on the motive is causing more harm to the hundreds of people who were victims that night.”
Stephen Paddock, 64, burned more than $1.5 million in gambling in the months leading up to the massacre
The 10-minute carnage unfolded on the final night of the three-day Route 91 Harvest Music Festival across the street from the Mandalay Bay Resort, where Paddock was staying on the 32nd floor.
However, the cache of documents provides new insight into the gunman’s mentality through interviews with neighbors, acquaintances, and employees of the Las Vegas casinos he frequented.
Paddock was described by those interviewed by the FBI as a ‘weird’ introvert who had never made eye contact and only wanted to talk about gambling, while a fellow gambler told the FBI that Paddock was ‘very upset’ by the red carpet treatment of top players. It seems to be fading.
According to the gambler, casinos previously treated the big players as Paddock to free cruises, flights, penthouse suites, ‘beautiful car’ rides and country wine tours. But in the years leading up to the Las Vegas mass shooting on Oct. 1, 2017, the player said, casinos began banning some high-profile players for “playing well and winning large amounts of money.” According to the documents, Paddock himself was banned from three Reno casinos.
Kelly McMahill, a former official with the Las Vegas City Police Department who headed the agency’s criminal investigation into the shooting, said there was no strong indication Paddock’s actions were motivated by resentment toward the casino industry.
His weapons were seen lying in the bathroom and around the hotel room. Dozens of Paddock weapons have been modified with rapid-fire ‘bump stocks’, attachments that effectively turn semi-automatic rifles into fully automatic weapons
Guns are seen strewn across the beds in the hotel room
An FBI interview with a fellow gambler is detailed in hundreds of pages of documents made public this week. The gambler, whose name is withheld in the documents, said he believes the pressure could have easily caused the gunman to “surprise” Paddock.
“There is no way for the LVMPD to hide any possible motive from our victims and survivors for five years,” McMahill said.
The 10-minute carnage unfolded on the final night of the three-day Route 91 Harvest Music Festival across the street from the Mandalay Bay Resort, where Paddock was staying on the 32nd floor.
Authorities said Paddock fired a volley of bullets into a crowd of 22,000 people from his corner suite with a sweeping view of the Strip and the concert floor.
His gambling habits made him a sought after casino patron. Mandalay Bay staff gave him a $590-a-night suite for free and let him use a private service elevator to take his several bags. Hidden inside those bags were the weapons he was going to use in the massacre.
Dozens of Paddock weapons have been modified with rapid-fire “bump stocks,” attachments that effectively turn semi-automatic rifles into fully automatic weapons. Some had bipedal struts and bands. The authorities said his weapons were purchased legally.
Police hid in a squad car outside the resort in 2017
But before establishing his perch in Mandalay Bay, Paddock also searched other great places. He booked rooms overlooking the Lollapalooza festival in Chicago in August 2017 and the Life is Beautiful festival in downtown Las Vegas near the Strip.
“What we know from[Paddock’s internet]search history is that he was looking for a large crowd of people, which of course he ended up finding,” said McMahill, the former Las Vegas police official.
An FBI spokesman in Las Vegas declined to comment. In the agency’s final report released in 2019, he said Paddock sought fame in the attack and may have wanted to follow in his criminal father’s footsteps. The report also said his physical and mental health was deteriorating as his wealth dwindled.
Paddock acted alone, killing himself when SWAT officers closed in and left no note about his motives behind the rampage.
“If we discover a motive, whether it’s 10 years from now, or 20 years from now, I’m confident the LVMPD will reach out to the victims first before announcing something,” McMahill said. ‘Its the right thing to do.’
