Following the Las Vegas mass shooting that left 59 people dead and over 525 injured, countless details began to pour forth on Stephen Paddock. The 64-year-old gunman, a white male who carried out the attack alone, reportedly used the credit card of his “companion,” Marilou Danley, to book his 32nd-floor hotel room at Mandalay Bay Resort. And at Paddock’s home — situated within a retirement community in Mesquite, Nevada — authorities uncovered a sobering amount of weaponry to add to what he toted to Vegas.
When Paddock was located by authorities (after one confusing timeline), police found over 23 firearms, including some that were fully automatic, according to the Wall Street Journal. Police reported that the room contained “AR-15-style and AK-47-style rifles” and a wealth of ammunition. In Paddock’s home and car, investigators found more guns and some explosives:
Investigators searching Paddock’s home in Mesquite, Nev., retrieved 19 firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition, Las Vegas police officials said Monday. The sheriff said they also found Tannerite, an explosive that detonates when shot by bullets and is used in target practice.
In Paddock’s car, authorities found more ammunition and ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer that can be used to make explosive, Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said.
CNN confirms the number of total firearms (42) within Paddock’s known arsenal. In addition, investigators are digging into whether the automatic rifles used in the massacre were “converted from semiautomatic guns or purchased that way.” Beyond that, it’s difficult to imagine how someone acquired so many firearms without setting off alarm bells, but Paddock didn’t have a criminal record to deter his pursuit. While his hunting license in Alaska still wouldn’t explain the cache, Nevada’s gun laws don’t make it difficult to build a collection.
(Via Wall Street Journal, Deadline & CNN)