Images have been leaked showing the body of Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock lying in his hotel room, with a note placed close by.
Paddock can be seen surrounded by an assortment of weapons and shell casings including a bipod mounted rifle by his feet as well as a blood stained revolver lying close by.
On a nearby side table, there appears to be a note which could perhaps offer an insight into Paddock’s thinking before the massacre took place.
The 64-year-old stationed himself on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel which overlooked the Route 91 festival where thousands were enjoying live country music.
Officers called to the scene said Paddock, who used a ‘fully-automatic weapon’, died from a self inflicted gun shot wound and said they did not believe there were any more shooters involved.
Police have yet to confirm a motive as to why the 64-year-old property developer carried out the attack – the most deadly of its kind in US history.
Various reasons have been suggested, including enormous gambling debts and relationship problems with some pointing toward a ‘troubled family background’ as being a contributing factor in Paddock’s unknown motivations.
His father, Benjamin Hoskins Paddock, was a notorious and ‘psychopathic’ bank robber who was on the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted list between 1969 and 1977.
Details of his firearms have been revealed by authorities to include a majority of rifles and at least one handgun.
All the firearms were bought legally, at local stores, after the shooter passed all the required background checks to own the guns. Paddock had modified a number of rifles with tripods and scopes to increase their accuracy.
Isis have tried to claim responsibility for the shooting, describing Paddock as being a ‘soldier for the caliphate’. However, the FBI have stated this is categorically not the case and as yet no evidence has been revealed to back up the claim.
Authorities have defined him as being a ‘lone wolf’, whereas his brother Eric said he and his family were ‘dumbfounded’ by the news, making the following comment to MSNBC:
He’s not an avid gun guy at all. The fact the had those kind of weapons is just – where the hell did he get automatic weapons? He has no military background or anything like that.
He’s just a guy who lived in a house in Mesquite, drove down and gambled in Las Vegas. He did… stuff. Ate burritos.
Authorities said on Monday that Paddock had used as many as 10 suitcases to transport the arsenal to his room at the Mandalay Bay Hotel.
At least 58 people have been killed with more than 500 injured. The local man used a ‘fully-automatic weapon’ and carried out the deadliest mass shooting on US soil in history on Sunday evening.
Investigations are still ongoing and police have not yet made details of the case public.
Thoughts remain with the families and friends of those who tragically lost their lives in the attack and with the hundreds of others who were injured.
Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.