The details of the cryptic note which was found in the hotel room of Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock have finally been revealed.
According to authorities, the note contains a cryptic series of numbers, and it furthers the mystery around what drove murderer Stephen Paddock to commit the worst mass shooting in modern US history.
It is not known what the numbers relate to but the piece of paper was located near Paddock’s dead body when police entered the room and is not thought to be a suicide note. It is currently under analysis, according to Metro.
Paddock killed 59 people and injured hundreds more when he opened fire on festivalgoers at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas on Sunday.
Apparently, investigators are also looking into whether Paddock was planning to detonate a car bomb.
Traces of material which can be used to make explosives have been found in his car and at his home.
It is now understood that Paddock had modified his guns to maximise the death toll as he shot from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel.
Paddock modified his gun with a bump fire stock, effectively converting the weapon from semi to fully automatic.
The sales of such bump stocks have sky-rocketed since the attack, amid fears that gun regulation will tighten laws.
A spokesman for the NRA said:
Despite the fact that the Obama administration approved the sale of bump fire stocks on at least two occasions, the National Rifle Association is calling on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to immediately review whether these devices comply with federal law.
The NRA believes that devices designed to allow semi-automatic rifles to function like fully-automatic rifles should be subject to additional regulations.
It is also believed that Paddock amassed a collection of 33 guns in the course of a year, according to CNN.
Not only was Paddock shooting at the crowd, but it has been uncovered that he also attempted to shoot a large fuel tank at McCarran International Airport near the hotel.
A fuel tank was found with two bullets in the side of the outer shell.
The airport’s Facebook page read:
There is almost zero likelihood gunfire damage could trigger a fire or explosion at a commercial fuel storage facility.
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Police have said clues suggest Paddock actually intended to escape and potentially cause more damage, after they found 1,600 rounds of ammunition in his car in the hotel car park.
Las Vegas Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said:
He was doing everything possible to see how he could escape.
Before checking into the Mandalay Bay hotel just prior to the attack, Paddock had also rented a room at another Las Vegas hotel which was overlooking another festival.
A person named Stephen Paddock also reserved a room at Chicago’s Blackstone Hotel during Lollapalooza music festival in the city, according to the hotel. Nobody turned up for that booking.
Despite the developing picture of what Stephen Paddock’s last few moments were, law enforcement and investigation teams are still some way from determining the purpose of Paddock’s actions.
Many of his victims still remain in hospital, some in a critical condition.
Our thoughts are with the victims and their friends and families.
