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Stephen Paddock: Las Vegas gunman identified by police as 64-year-old white male | Stephen Paddock: Las Vegas gunman identified by police as 64-year-old white male |
(35 minutes later) | |
The suspected gunman in the mass shooting at a music festival in Las Vegas has been named by police as 64-year-old Stephen Paddock. | |
At least 50 people were killed and more than 400 injured at the Route 91 country music event near the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino. | At least 50 people were killed and more than 400 injured at the Route 91 country music event near the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino. |
It is the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history, with the death toll surpassing the 49 killed at a nightclub in Orlando in June 2016. | It is the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history, with the death toll surpassing the 49 killed at a nightclub in Orlando in June 2016. |
Witnesses described seeing flashes of light high up in the tower of the hotel and a sound "like firecrackers" as "clip after clip" was unloaded into the 22,000-strong crowd. | Witnesses described seeing flashes of light high up in the tower of the hotel and a sound "like firecrackers" as "clip after clip" was unloaded into the 22,000-strong crowd. |
Paddock, a grandfather from Mesquite, Nevada, is believed to have been firing down at concert-goers from the 32nd floor. | Paddock, a grandfather from Mesquite, Nevada, is believed to have been firing down at concert-goers from the 32nd floor. |
A Swat team used a controlled explosion to enter the hotel room, where Paddock was found dead, according to a police statement. | A Swat team used a controlled explosion to enter the hotel room, where Paddock was found dead, according to a police statement. |
Officials believe Paddock killed himself before the officers entered. | Officials believe Paddock killed himself before the officers entered. |
A total of 10 guns, including rifles, were recovered from the room, where Paddock had been staying since 28 September. | |
Las Vegas sheriff Joseph Lombardo said police had found nothing to suggest a motive for the attack. | |
When asked during a news conference why the police were not treating the incident as an act of terrorism, Sheriff Lombardo said: "We have to establish what his motivation is first. | |
"There are motivating factors associated with terrorism other than a distraught person just intending to cause mass casualty. Before we label with that it will be a matter of process." | "There are motivating factors associated with terrorism other than a distraught person just intending to cause mass casualty. Before we label with that it will be a matter of process." |
Isis later claimed responsibility for the massacre, saying Paddock was "a soldier of the Islamic State" who answered "calls to target coalition countries". | |
A statement published by the group's Amaq propaganda agency – which cannot be independently verified – claimed he “converted to Islam several months ago”. | |
The wording of the release is similar to other attacks believed to have been inspired, rather than directed, by Isis. | |
Records show Paddock lived in a three-year-old, $396,000 (£297,554) two-bedroom home in a small retirement and golf community in Mesquite, 80 miles north east of Las Vegas near the Arizona state border. | |
Local media said he had also previously lived in Reno, Nevada, California and Florida. | Local media said he had also previously lived in Reno, Nevada, California and Florida. |
The suspect's brother, Eric Paddock, said the family was stunned that the 64-year-old was the suspected gunman. | The suspect's brother, Eric Paddock, said the family was stunned that the 64-year-old was the suspected gunman. |
“He was my brother and it’s like an asteroid fell out of the sky,” he told CNN. | |
He told CBS his brother had “no religious affiliation, no political affiliation, he just hung out”. | |
“He’s not an avid gun guy at all. The fact that he 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.” | |
Las Vegas police department confirmed that two off-duty police officers were among those killed. | |
At least two on-duty officers were also injured. One was in a stable condition after surgery and another sustained minor injuries. | |
The FBI – including federal crime scene investigators – were assisting the Las Vegas police, Sheriff Lombardo said, adding: "It is going to be a long and tedious investigation." | |
He said police had found a 62-year-old female companion of the shooter called Marilou Danley. They had earlier launched a public manhunt for Ms Danley, but said she was no longer a person of interest. | |
US President Donald Trump responded to the massacre by saying the attack was an “act of pure evil”. He did not mention the issue of gun control. | |
“Our unity cannot be shattered by evil," he said. "Our bonds cannot be broken by violence. It is our love that defines us today, and always will forever.” | |
He added: “In times such as these, I know we are searching for some kind of meaning, some kind of light in the darkness. The answers do not come easy.” |