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Who Was the Las Vegas Shooter ?

Eric Paddock, brother of Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock, speaks to members of the media near his home, Oct. 2, 2017, in Orlando, Fla.
Eric Paddock, brother of Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock, speaks to members of the media near his home, Oct. 2, 2017, in Orlando, Fla.

Las Vegas police have identified Stephen Paddock, 64, from Mesquite, Nevada, as the gunman in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

Authorities believe Paddock shot into a crowd of 22,000 people attending an outdoor concert, killing 58 and wounded hundreds more before before he killed himself in a hotel room that overlooked the area.

At least 10 guns were found in the room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort, police said. He had checked into the hotel room on Thursday, according to authorities.

Police stand at the scene of a shooting along the Las Vegas Strip, Oct. 2, 2017, in Las Vegas.
Police stand at the scene of a shooting along the Las Vegas Strip, Oct. 2, 2017, in Las Vegas.

Motive

A motive for the deadly attack is not known. Police said Paddock did not have a criminal history; the FBI added that he had no connection to any international terrorist group. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, but did not provide any evidence for the claim.

"We know nothing. If you told me an asteroid fell it would mean the same to me. There is absolutely no sense, no reason he did this," his brother Eric Paddock told the Washington Post. "He is just a guy who played video poker, and took cruises, and ate burritos at Taco Bell. There is no political affiliation that we know of. There is no religious affiliation that we know of."

What neighbors say

Neighbors in Nevada described the retired Paddock, who lived in a town about 130 kilometers from Las Vegas, as a prickly personality and avid gambler who lived with his girlfriend, Marilou Danley.

Authorities initially said they were searching for Danley as a person of interest in the investigation. They later said she had been located and was in police custody, but they do not believe she was involved in the shooting.

In Photos: Las Vegas Shooting

Las Vegas Shooting

The grounds are shown at the Route 91 Harvest festival, with the Mandalay Bay Hotel behind the stage, on Las Vegas Boulevard South in Las Vegas, Nevada, Oct. 1, 2017.
1/11 The grounds are shown at the Route 91 Harvest festival, with the Mandalay Bay Hotel behind the stage, on Las Vegas Boulevard South in Las Vegas, Nevada, Oct. 1, 2017.
People scramble for shelter at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after apparent gun fire was heard on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
2/11 People scramble for shelter at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after apparent gun fire was heard on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
People run from the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after apparent gun fire was heard on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
3/11 People run from the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after apparent gun fire was heard on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
People tend to the wounded outside the Route 91 Harvest Country music festival grounds after an apparent shooting on Oct. 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
4/11 People tend to the wounded outside the Route 91 Harvest Country music festival grounds after an apparent shooting on Oct. 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
A man lays on top of a woman as others flee the Route 91 Harvest country music festival grounds after a active shooter was reported on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
5/11 A man lays on top of a woman as others flee the Route 91 Harvest country music festival grounds after a active shooter was reported on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
A woman cries while hiding inside the Sands Corporation plane hangar after a mass shooting in which dozens were killed at the Route 91 Harvest country festival on Oct. 1, 2017, in Las Vegas.
6/11 A woman cries while hiding inside the Sands Corporation plane hangar after a mass shooting in which dozens were killed at the Route 91 Harvest country festival on Oct. 1, 2017, in Las Vegas.
Police officers advise people to take cover near the scene of a shooting near the Mandalay Bay resort and casino on the Las Vegas Strip, Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017, in Las Vegas.
7/11 Police officers advise people to take cover near the scene of a shooting near the Mandalay Bay resort and casino on the Las Vegas Strip, Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017, in Las Vegas.
Kuz. Yaponiya.
8/11 Kuz. Yaponiya.
Police stand at the scene of a shooting along the Las Vegas Strip, Oct. 2, 2017, in Las Vegas.
9/11 Police stand at the scene of a shooting along the Las Vegas Strip, Oct. 2, 2017, in Las Vegas.
A pair of cowboy boots is shown in the street outside the concert venue after a mass shooting at a music festival on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
10/11 A pair of cowboy boots is shown in the street outside the concert venue after a mass shooting at a music festival on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Crime scene tape surrounds the Mandalay Hotel (background) after a gunman killed at least 50 people and wounded more than 200 others when he opened fire on a country music concert in Las Vegas, Nevada, Oct. 2, 2017.
11/11 Crime scene tape surrounds the Mandalay Hotel (background) after a gunman killed at least 50 people and wounded more than 200 others when he opened fire on a country music concert in Las Vegas, Nevada, Oct. 2, 2017.
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