Who is Stephen Paddock? Las Vegas gunman was 64-year-old multi-millionaire with 42 guns

Paddock killed 59 people and injured 527 more in a terrifying 10-minute long attack.

The gunman opened fire from his hotel room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel, where he had been holed up since Thursday September 28.

When officers broke into his room, they found that he had taken his own life.

Police found an arsenal of 23 guns in the hotel room, some of which were fitted with scopes. Paddock also had two “bump-stocks”, devices legal in the US which effectively turn semi-automatic rifles into automatic machine guns.

When detectives searched Paddock’s home in Mesquite, Nevada – a retirement community 80 miles out of Nevada – they found a further 19 firearms, thousands of rounds of ammunition and “electronic devices”, according to Count Clark Sheriff Joseph Lombardo. He would not expand on the latter.

Several pounds of ammonium nitrate, an explosive material, were found in Paddock’s car.

Mr Lombardo said that authorities are unsure of Paddock’s motives.

“I can’t get into the mind of a psychopath at this point,” he said.

Police are not treating the attack – the deadliest mass shooting on US soil – as terror-related, despite Nevada law defining terrorism as “any act that involves the use… of violence which is intended to cause great bodily harm or death to the general population”.

The killer was a multi-millionaire real estate investor and former accountant, according to his brother.

Eric Paddock said that his family was “dumbfounded” by the atrocity.

“He was just a guy,” he said. “Something happened, he snapped or something.”

Eric revealed that their father was a “psychopathic” bank robber who was once on the FBI’s most wanted list.

He described his brother as “not an avid gun guy at all” who had “no religious affiliation, no political affiliation” or history of mental illness.

He added: ”The fact that he had those kinds of weapons is just … where the hell did he get automatic weapons? He has no military background or anything like that.

“He’s a guy who lived in a house in Mesquite and drove down and gambled in Las Vegas.”

Chris Sullivan, the owner of the Guns & Guitars gun shop in Mesquite, issued a statement confirming that Paddock was a customer who cleared “all necessary background checks and procedures,” and said his business was cooperating with investigators.

“He never gave any indication or reason to believe he was unstable or unfit at any time,” Sullivan said. He did not say how many or the kinds of weapons Paddock purchased there.

ISIS has claimed responsibility for the shooting, saying Paddock was a “soldier of Islamic State” who had converted to Islam “months ago”.

The terror group’s claim has not been verified and contradicts earlier statements made by police. The FBI has not found any connection to the international terror group. 

READ MORE: WHO WAS THE LAS VEGAS SHOOTER?

Records show that Paddock lived in a three-year-old, $396,00 (£297,554) two-bedroom home in Babbling Brook Court.

Diane McKay, a former neighbour, told the Washington Post that the shooter was “weird”, and that he and his girlfriend Marilou Danley always kept the blinds closed at home.

“He kept to himself. It was like living next to nothing.

“You can at least be grumpy, something. He was just nothing, quiet.”

Police are interested in speaking to Ms Danley, who is currently out of the country and is not a suspect.

At 64 years old, Paddock is the oldest mass shooter in US history. 

He was not known to police, and had no criminal history other than a routine traffic violation.

A spokesman for Mesquite’s police department said: “We don’t have a lot on Mr Paddock. He does live here in our city.

“We have not had any law enforcement contact with him in the past.”

The attack took place during the last night of the Route 91 Harvest country music festival. Thousands of people fled the scene, including Instagram star Dan Bilzerian.

Country singer Jason Aldean was on stage when the gunfire broke. He later confirmed that he and his crew were safe, adding: “Tonight has been beyond horrific.”

US President Donald Trump has been briefed on the shooting, and has tweeted a message of support to those affected.

He wrote: “My warmest condolences and sympathies to the victims and families of the terrible Las Vegas shooting. God bless you!”

Theresa May took a break from the Conservative Party conference in Manchester to condemn the attack.

She said: ”The UK’s thoughts are with the victims and the emergency services responding to the appalling attack in Las Vegas.” 

Additional reporting by Nicole Stinson