Stephen Paddock
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Stephen Paddock | |
|---|---|
| File:Stephen Craig Paddock.jpg The widely circulated photo of Paddock, allegedly taken the night prior to the shooting | |
| Born | Stephen Craig Paddock April 9, 1953 Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | October 1, 2017 (aged 64) Paradise, Nevada, U.S. |
| Cause of death | self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head |
| Occupation | Accountant |
| Known for | 2017 Las Vegas Strip shooting |
| Parent | Benjamin Hoskins Paddock |
| Relatives | Eric H. Paddock (brother)[1] |
| Details | |
| Victims | 58 |
| Date | October 1, 2017 |
Stephen Craig Paddock (April 9, 1953 – October 1, 2017)[2] was an American gunman who committed the 2017 Las Vegas Strip shooting. He fired with automatic weapons into a crowd of some 22,000 concertgoers at a country music festival on the Las Vegas Strip on October 1, 2017,[3][4] killing 58 people.[5] Paddock lived in Mesquite, Nevada. He was found dead in his short term accommodation at Mandalay Bay Hotel along Las Vegas Boulevard with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The incident surpassed the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting as the deadliest mass shooting by a lone gunman in U.S. history, with at least 59 fatalities (including himself) and 527 injured.[5]
Early life and education
Paddock was born in Iowa.[6] He grew up in Tucson, Arizona and Sun Valley, California,[5] as one of three sons of Benjamin Hoskins Paddock,[7] a convicted bank robber[5] who escaped prison in 1969 and subsequently had his name added to the FBI's most-wanted list. Stephen was 15 years old at the time.[7] He graduated from John H. Francis Polytechnic High School in 1971,[8] and graduated from California State University, Northridge with a degree in business administration in 1977.[9]
Personal life
According to court records, Paddock was married and divorced twice; first in 1977–1979, and for the second time in 1985–1990.[3] In 1985–1988 he worked as an internal auditor for the predecessor of Lockheed Martin.[5] In 2013–2015 Paddock lived in a retirement community in Melbourne, Florida.[3]
Paddock previously lived in Texas and in California, where he had married once and later divorced.[10][5] He lived in a number of retirement communities. For several years, he lived with his girlfriend, Marilou Danley, in a retirement community in Reno, Nevada.[10] In 2016 he moved 2,400 miles west across the country with the help of his Floridian brother Eric H. Paddock,[1] to a new retiree home in Mesquite, Nevada, about 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas.[3] According to property records, he bought a single-family home there in 2013.[10]
2017 Las Vegas Strip shooting
Paddock rented a room on the 32nd floor at Mandalay Bay on Thursday, September 28, three days before the massacre.[10] The police found 23 rifles and one handgun inside his room,[11][12] including the AR-15-style and AK-47-style rifles, and a large quantity of ammunition. Two of the rifles were mounted on tripods and were equipped with telescopic sights.[13][14] According to firearms instructor Massad Ayoob, audio recordings of the attack indicated that the perpetrator probably used a bump fire device.[15] A bump fire stock was also found in the room.[16][17] According to police, Paddock acted alone and his motive is unknown.[18][19][20][21] He was found dead in his room from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.[5]
Notes
- ^ a b "Eric H Paddock". Florida Division of Elections. Florida: Florida Department of State. October 2017. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
- ^ Maglio, Tony (October 2, 2017). "Stephen Paddock: What we know about Las Vegas mass shooter". TheWrap.
- ^ a b c d Grinberg, Emanuella (October 2, 2017). "Nothing stood out about Stephen Paddock before Las Vegas shooting, people who knew him say". CNN.
- ^ Adams, Char (October 2, 2017), "Jason Aldean Ran from Stage When Las Vegas Gunman Opened Fire: 'Tonight Has Been Beyond Horrific'", People
- ^ a b c d e f g Williams, Pete; Connor, Tracy; Rosenblatt, Kalhan (October 2, 2017). "Las Vegas Shooter Stephen Paddock Had Recent Large Gambling Transactions". NBC News.
- ^ "Las Vegas shooter lived in Tucson as young boy, brother says". Arizona Daily Star. October 3, 2017.
- ^ a b Shelbourne, Mallory (October 2, 2017). "Las Vegas suspect's father was bank robber on FBI Most Wanted list". The Hill.
- ^ Chou, Elizabeth (October 3, 2017). "Suspected Las Vegas shooter graduated from Sun Valley high school". Los Angeles Daily News.
- ^ Woods, Wes (October 3, 2017). "Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock was a CSUN graduate, university confirms". The Orange County Register. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
- ^ a b c d "Who is Stephen Paddock? Las Vegas gunman's father was 'psychopathic' bank robber on FBI most-wanted list", The Washington Post, October 2, 2017.
- ^ "Las Vegas Shooting Live Updates: Multiple Weapons Found in Gunman's Hotel Room". The New York Times. October 2, 2017. ISSN 0362-4331.
- ^ "Las Vegas shooting: At least 58 , 515 hurt in Mandalay Bay shooting". CBS. October 2, 2017.
- ^ Palazzolo, Joe; Elinson, Zusha (October 2, 2017). "Las Vegas Suspect Likely Used Automatic Rifle in Massacre". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ Delreal, Jose; Bromwich, Jonah (October 2, 2017). "Stephen Paddock, Las Vegas Gunman, Was a Gambler Who Drew Little Attention". The New York Times.
- ^ Beckett, Lois (October 2, 2017). "Las Vegas gunman may have used special device to fire faster, expert says". The Guardian. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
- ^ Keneally, Meghan (October 2, 2017). "Guns, loaded high-capacity magazines found in Vegas shooter's room: Sources". ABC News. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
- ^ Chivers, C. J.; Gibbons-Neff, Thomas (October 2, 2017). "Automatic Weapon May Have Been Involved in Las Vegas Shooting, Audio Suggests". The New York Times.
- ^ "What we know about Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock". News.com.au.
- ^ Yan, Holly; Victor, Philip; Cullinane, Susannah (October 2, 2017). "Weapons cache found at Las Vegas shooter's home". CNN.
- ^ Mitchell, Robert; Chu, Henry (October 2, 2017). "Suspect Named in Las Vegas Shooting, Motive Still Unclear". Variety.
- ^ "Stephen Paddock: What we know about Las Vegas shooting suspect". Fox News Channel. October 2, 2017.
