Las Vegas mass shooter Stephen Paddock killed 60 people and injured hundreds more after losing $1.5 million gambling weeks before the shooting, new FBI files revealed.
An FBI interview with the shooter’s fellow player, detailed in hundreds of pages of documents released this week, suggests his loss may have had an impact.
The other player, whose name has been blacked out in the documents, said he believes the stress could have easily caused shooter Stephen Paddock to “go nuts”. Paddock, 64, was a video poker player who relied on gambling as his primary source of income.
The revelation comes years after the Las Vegas FBI and local police department closed their investigations with no definitive motive, though both agencies said Paddock burned more than $1.5 million, became obsessed with guns and had a crush on his girlfriend and his family distanced months before the massacre.
In a statement Thursday, Las Vegas police defended their inconclusive findings and dismissed the significance of the documents released this week in response to a Wall Street Journal disclosure request.
“We could not determine a motive for the shooter,” the statement said. “Speculating a motive hurts the hundreds of people who died that night even more.”
Stephen Paddock, 64, burned more than $1.5 million in gambling in the months leading up to the massacre
The 10-minute massacre occurred on the final night of the three-day Route 91 Harvest Music Festival across from the Mandalay Bay Resort where Paddock was staying on the 32nd floor
Still, through interviews with neighbors, acquaintances, and employees at Las Vegas casinos he visited, the document cache offers new insight into the shooter’s mindset.
People interviewed by the FBI described Paddock as an “odd” introvert who never made eye contact and just wanted to talk about the gambling, while the shooter’s teammate told the FBI Paddock was “very upset” by the high roller walking the red carpet seemed to fade away.
According to the player, casinos had previously treated high rollers like Paddock to free cruises, flights, penthouse suites, rides in “nice cars,” and wine country tours. But in the years leading up to the Oct. 1, 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting, the player said, casinos had started banning some high rollers “because they played well and won large amounts of money.” Paddock himself was banned from three Reno casinos, according to the documents.
Kelly McMahill, a former Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officer who led the agency’s criminal investigation into the shooting, said there was no clear indication Paddock’s actions were driven by resentment of the casino industry.
His guns were in the bathroom and hotel room. A dozen of Paddock’s weapons have been modified with rapid-fire “bump stocks,” attachments that effectively convert semi-automatic rifles into fully automatic weapons
Guns could be seen strewn across the beds in the hotel room
An FBI interview with the shooter’s fellow player is detailed in hundreds of pages of documents released this week. The player, whose name has been blacked out from the documents, said he believes the stress could easily have caused Paddock shooter to “freak out”.
“There is no way LVMPD would have withheld any possible motive from our victims and survivors for five years,” McMahill said.
The 10-minute massacre occurred on the final night of the three-day Route 91 Harvest Music Festival across from the Mandalay Bay Resort where Paddock was staying on the 32nd floor.
Authorities said Paddock fired a hail of bullets at the crowd of 22,000 from his corner suite with an impressive view of the Strip and concert grounds.
His gambling habits made him a popular casino patron. Mandalay Bay employees gave him the $590 a night suite for free and let him use a private elevator to pick up his numerous suitcases. Hidden in these suitcases were the weapons he would use for the massacre.
A dozen of Paddock’s weapons have been modified with rapid-fire “bump stocks,” attachments that effectively convert semi-automatic rifles into fully automatic weapons. Some had bipod brackets and telescopic sights. Authorities said his guns were legally purchased.
Police hiding next to a squad car outside the resort in 2017
But before setting up his space at Mandalay Bay, Paddock researched other major venues as well. He booked rooms with a view of the Lollapalooza Festival in Chicago in August 2017 and the Life is Beautiful Festival in downtown Las Vegas near the Strip.
“What we know of [Paddock’s internet] The search story is that he was looking for a large crowd, which of course he found,” said McMahill, the former Las Vegas police officer.
A spokesman for the FBI in Las Vegas declined to comment. The agency’s final report, released in 2019, said Paddock gained notoriety in the attack and may have wanted to follow in his father’s criminal footsteps. The report also said his physical and mental health declined as his wealth declined.
Paddock acted alone, killing himself as SWAT officers approached and leaving no note of his motive for the killing spree.
“If we ever discover a motive, whether it’s in 10 or 20 years, I’m confident that LVMPD will contact victims first before they make anything public,” McMahill said. “It’s the right thing to do.”