The Las Vegas Shooter: A Breach Of Multiple Laws

On October 1, 2017, Stephen Paddock opened fire on a crowd of concertgoers attending the Route 91 Harvest music festival on the Las Vegas Strip, killing 60 people and injuring approximately 867. This incident, the deadliest mass shooting by a lone gunman in American history, brought attention to firearms legislation in the US, particularly regarding bump stocks, which Paddock used to fire shots in rapid succession. While the motive for the shooting is officially undetermined, FBI documents released in 2023 suggest Paddock's discontent with the treatment of high rollers in Las Vegas casinos may have been a factor.

The shooter's motive remains undetermined

On October 1, 2017, Stephen Paddock opened fire on a crowd of concertgoers attending the Route 91 Harvest music festival on the Las Vegas Strip, killing 60 people and wounding approximately 867. Paddock's motive remains officially undetermined, but several factors have been speculated as possible contributors.

Firstly, Paddock's discontent with the treatment of high-rollers in Las Vegas casinos has been suggested as a potential factor. According to FBI documents, Paddock, a high-stakes gambler, had lost tens of thousands of dollars in the weeks leading up to the shooting and was upset with the way casinos were treating him and other high rollers. He had been banned from three casinos in Reno, Nevada, and it was believed that the perks and benefits typically offered to high-rollers were diminishing. However, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department dismissed this report, maintaining that the motive was inconclusive.

Paddock's mental health has also been scrutinized as a possible factor. Investigators believe he may have had bipolar disorder and was offered antidepressants, but he only accepted anxiety medication. Paddock's autopsy revealed no influence of psychoactive drugs or alcohol at the time of the shooting, although his urine did contain benzodiazepines. Psychologists have also noted a similarity between Paddock's demeanor and the psychological construct alexithymia, which has been associated with mass murderers in history.

Additionally, Paddock's personal life and relationships have been examined for potential clues. He was described as a loner who kept to himself, with acquaintances stating that he did not speak much and kept a low profile. He was twice divorced, with no known children, and his long-term girlfriend noted a change in his demeanor in the year before the shooting, becoming increasingly distant. Paddock's financial situation had also taken a hit, as he had lost a significant amount of his wealth in the two years preceding the shooting.

Furthermore, Paddock's interest in guns and his planning for the attack have been subjects of speculation. He had legally purchased an extensive arsenal of firearms and accessories, including bump stocks that enabled him to fire shots in rapid succession. He had also researched large-scale venues in other cities and reserved rooms overlooking festivals and concerts. A note found in his hotel room included calculations about maximizing his accuracy, indicating a meticulous planning process.

While these factors provide potential insights, the official conclusion is that the shooter's motive remains undetermined. The complex interplay of various factors and Paddock's solitary actions make it challenging to ascertain a definitive motive.

The shooter's arsenal included bump stocks, which were later banned

The Las Vegas shooter's arsenal included bump stocks, devices that can be used to assist in bump firing, the act of using the recoil of a semi-automatic firearm to fire cartridges in rapid succession. The bump stocks allowed the shooter to fire at a rate of 90 rounds in 10 seconds, or between 400 and 800 rounds per minute. The use of bump stocks in the shooting brought their legality into question, and several states passed legislation restricting their ownership.

In December 2018, the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) published a rule that bump stocks constituted machine guns, making them effectively illegal under federal law. The ATF's ruling was supported by the National Rifle Association, which called for additional regulations on bump stocks. The ATF's ruling was also supported by the public, with polls finding that between 68% and 81% of Americans supported a bump stock ban.

The ATF's ruling was challenged in court by gun rights groups, and in June 2024, the Supreme Court vacated the ATF's regulation in a 6-3 decision, stating that the ATF had exceeded its statutory authority and that bump stocks did not meet the legal definition of machine guns. The Supreme Court's decision was criticised by President Joe Biden, who called on Congress to ban bump stocks and assault weapons. Despite the Supreme Court's ruling, bump stocks remain illegal in 15 states and the District of Columbia due to state-level bans.

The Islamic State tried to claim responsibility for the attack

On October 1, 2017, 64-year-old Stephen Paddock opened fire on a crowd of concertgoers attending the Route 91 Harvest music festival on the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada. He fired more than 1,000 rounds, killing 60 people and wounding at least 413. The Islamic State (IS) tried to claim responsibility for the attack, but U.S. officials were sceptical of their involvement.

IS claimed that Paddock had converted to Islam six months prior to the attack and had renamed himself Abu Abdul Barr al-Amriki. They stated that the Las Vegas attack was carried out by an IS soldier in response to calls to target states of the U.S.-led coalition fighting the group in the Middle East. However, U.S. officials said there was no evidence linking Paddock to any international militant group, and his name was not on any database of suspected terrorists.

In the days following the shooting, Islamic State issued a further statement, referring to the Las Vegas attacker by the nom de guerre "Abu Abd al-Bar al-Ameriki." Despite IS's claims, U.S. authorities remained sceptical. They stated that Paddock, who lived in a retirement home in Mesquite, Nevada, had no known ties to any terrorist or hate groups, and his motive for the attack remains officially undetermined.

Paddock's girlfriend, a Catholic, stated that he described himself as an atheist and often said, "your God doesn't love me." This contradicts IS's claim that Paddock had converted to Islam. Additionally, investigators found no evidence of a connection between Paddock and IS, and the FBI's final report in 2019 stated that Paddock had no clear motivating factor for the shooting.

In conclusion, while the Islamic State attempted to claim responsibility for the Las Vegas shooting, there is no evidence to support their assertion, and U.S. officials and investigators have found no link between Paddock and any terrorist or militant groups.

The shooter's remains were sent to Stanford University for brain analysis

Stephen Craig Paddock, the Las Vegas shooter, was a real-estate investor, property manager, accountant, private pilot, and video poker gambler. He was born on April 9, 1953, in Clinton, Iowa, and lived in Mesquite, Nevada. On October 1, 2017, he opened fire on a crowd of about 22,000 concertgoers, killing 60 people and injuring approximately 867. He then killed himself in his hotel room.

Paddock's motive remains undetermined, but there has been some discussion around brain pathology as a possible contributor. His remains were sent to Stanford University for a more extensive analysis of his brain. The Stanford pathologists found no abnormalities present within the brain.

The procedure was carried out by Dr. Hannes Vogel, the director of neuropathology at Stanford University Medical Center. Vogel planned to look for and photograph any gross abnormalities that could be felt or seen by the eye alone, such as a tumor or malformation. He then focused on the interior structures, dissecting the brain further and taking tissue samples. Colleagues created paper-thin slices of the tissue, mounted them onto slides, and treated them with stains to highlight potential abnormalities of individual cells.

Despite the extensive analysis, Vogel and other experts in his field cautioned that finding a correlation between structural abnormalities and behavior is very difficult. They also emphasized that even if a disease were found, it would be false science to conclude that it caused or contributed to Paddock's actions.

The shooter's brother was arrested in an unrelated child pornography investigation

Stephen Paddock, the Las Vegas shooter, had an older brother named Bruce Paddock. Bruce was arrested in October 2017 at a nursing home in Valley Village, Los Angeles, on child pornography charges stemming from an investigation that predated the massacre. Bruce was charged with 19 counts of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of possession of child pornography. The investigation began after evidence was found in a Sun Valley business where Bruce had been squatting. Authorities clarified that their inquiry was unrelated to the mass shooting.

Bruce Paddock was detained at an assisted-living facility where he was awaiting surgery for spinal stenosis. The felony complaint stated that he had over 600 explicit images of minors in 2014 and had also swapped pornography. He was held on a $60,000 bond. The LAPD stated that the images were discovered inside a building where Bruce had been squatting, but they could not locate him at the time. It was only after Stephen's crime that they learned of his whereabouts and obtained a warrant.

Bruce Paddock had a criminal record stretching back to the 1980s, including convictions for vandalism, criminal threats, theft, and driving with a suspended license. He expressed annoyance that his brother's crime had brought attention to his own misdeeds, which he described as "minor."

In July 2018, the child pornography charges against Bruce Paddock were dropped after a judge denied the prosecution's request to postpone the case due to an unavailable witness. However, prosecutors planned to refile the charges.

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