Stephen Paddock lived in Melbourne, Florida in 2013
Until about 10:05 p.m. local time last night in Las Vegas few people knew that Stephen Paddock would become the most infamous mass murderer in American history. According to records, Paddock lived in Melbourne, Florida from 2013 through 2016, he also lived in Texas and California before moving to Mesquite, a small town about 80 miles south of the Las Vegas area in 2016.
Paddock, who opened fire from his 32nd-floor room in the Mandalay Bay Hotel on over 22,000 people attending the Highway 91 country music concert on the busy “Las Vegas Strip.”
Paddock killed himself just before police entered his room early this morning after the killing spree left over 50 dead and more than 200 badly injured. He was a 64-year-old white male from Mesquite, Nevada, per the LVPD.
Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo told the press that “multiple firearms” — specifically rifles — were found in the hotel room, once the police were able to get inside.
“We believe it’s a solo actor. A lone wolf,” Lombardo said. “We are comfortable that the primary aggressor in this event has expired or passed away and is no longer a threat.”
Paddock is believed to have checked into the Mandalay Bay hotel as a guest, The Associated Press reports. He had been there since September 28, police said.
He was not a problem in the two-plus years that he lived in the state of Florida and very little at this point is known about Paddock. Police were quick to rule out terrorism, at least at this point in time.
NBC News was the first to report that he was known to local law enforcement. But it is not clear as to why they had him on their radar.
Multiple news outlets reported that Paddock back in 2012, he sued the Las Vegas strip’s Cosmopolitan Hotels & Resorts Inc. for “negligence – premises liability,” per Heavy.com. The case was dismissed with prejudice two years later and settled through arbitration.
But the motive for the shooting still remains a mystery at this point.