Following the horrific attack in Las Vegas that left at least 59 dead and 527 injured, investigators have been seeking a motive for shooter Stephen Paddock, a 64-year-old man who open fired on a country music festival from his room at the Mandalay Bay hotel. Paddock assembled a horrifying arsenal in his hotel room, having 23 different firearms (including AR-15-style and AK-47-style rifles) on hand for his killing spree.
According to The Independent, police are examining Paddock’s financial records in an attempt to find a motive. Investigators on the case have uncovered that Paddock wired $100,000 to the Philippines, the home country of his girlfriend Marilou Danley, just days before the attack. While it is unclear whether or not the money was meant for Danley, she was in the Philippines on Sunday and is expected to return to the United States on Wednesday. Paddock, a heavy gambler, also racked up a number of gambling debts exceeding $10,000 over the past few weeks.
BREAKING: US official: Las Vegas shooter reported at least a dozen gambling transactions of $10,000 or more in last several weeks.
— The Associated Press (@AP) October 3, 2017
Some have labeled Paddock a “normal, average guy” prior to this attack, and investigators claim that there are no apparent links to international terrorist organizations. They are not ruling out mental illness, saying “We cannot even rule out mental illness or some form of brain damage, although there’s no evidence of that, either.” However, the baristas at his local Starbucks recall him as a man who seemed on edge and looked like he rarely slept, and that he was often unkind to Danley when they attended the shop. Esperanza Mendoza, the supervisor of the Mesquite, Nev., location, said on Tuesday,
“He would glare down at her and say — with a mean attitude — ‘You don’t need my casino card for this. I’m paying for your drink, just like I’m paying for you.’ Then she would softly say, ‘OK’ and step back behind him. He was so rude to her in front of us.”
This attack has gone down as the deadliest attack in modern American history. While President Trump called Paddock “a sick man, a demented man,” many are hoping that this violence inspires actual policy change instead of the usual thoughts and prayers.
(Via The Independent, the LA Times)