Stephen Paddock’s Brother Opens Up About Vegas Shooter’s Dark Past

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Stephen Paddock’s brother, Eric Paddock, has spoken out about the mass murderer’s past.

As reported by The Independent, Eric has described his brother as being ‘the king of microaggression’, who would delibrately puff cigar smoke into the faces of those who were annoyed by it.

According to Eric, Paddock was also ‘highly intelligent, highly successful’. He also said, ‘he could have done anything he wanted to do’.

Eric has previously made the following statement to MSNBC about his brother:

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.

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Although a motive has yet to be established, significant background information about Paddock’s life is beginning to emerge which paints a picture of the life led by the shooter.

Former neighbour Eva Price previously spoke to the Tucson Citizen of how she’d take Paddock swimming to distance him from his criminal father.

We’re trying to keep Steve from knowing his father is held as a bank robber.

Steve is a nice boy. It’s a terrible thing.

Former classmate at John H Francis Polytechnic High School, Richard Alarcon, has described the young Paddock as being intelligent, with an ‘irreverence toward authority’.

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Although his girlfriend Marilou Danley described Paddock as being ‘a kind, caring, quiet man’, this was not the person who bar staff at a Mesquite casino Starbucks had come to know.

Contrasting with Danley’s statement, bar staff have instead recounted how Paddock would often tell Danley off in public.

Speaking with the Los Angeles Times, store supervisor Esperanza Mendoza has described how Paddock could be ‘rude’ and ‘mean’ towards Danley:

He would glare down at her and say — with a mean attitude — ‘You don’t need my casino card for this. I’m paying for your drink, just like I’m paying for you.’

Then she would softly say, ‘OK’ and step back behind him. He was so rude to her in front of us,

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Others have spoken out about how Paddock would often smell of alcohol, wearing worn clothes and appear depressed in the months leading up to the mass murder.

Former executive casino host at Reno’s Atlantis, John Weinreich, has described the killer as having had a ‘god complex’.

He has also revealed how Paddock had a disturbing habit of staring people out, as if trying to challenge them:

It was just his demeanour. It was like, ‘I’m here. Don’t cross me. Don’t look at me too long’.

The family were raised in Sun Walley, California, brother Bruce Paddock told NBC.

Their dad, Benjamin Hoskins Paddock, was a notorious bank robber who was on the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted list between 1969 and 1977.

Investigations into this crime are still ongoing. Our thoughts are with all those who have been affected by the Las Vegas shooting.

Julia Banim

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.