Experts search for a motive for Las Vegas gunman one year later

One year after he committed the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history, experts are still searching for the motive of Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock.

The 64-year-old rained down bullets for approximately 10 minutes from his Mandalay Bay and Casino hotel room in the attack that killed 58 people and injured at least 500 on October 1, 2017.

Some say he was searching for fame, others have said it was the result of a mental illness.

But these theories are merely based on speculation with little evidence to back them up.

 

Paddock (pictured on security footage) killed 58 people and injured at least 500, making it the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history

Stephen Paddock, 64 (left and right, on security footage), opened fire on a concert in Las Vegas on October 1, 2017, during which he killed 58 people and injured at least 500, making it the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history

Since then, authorities have been trying to figure out Paddock's moment be it fame or due to a mental illness. Pictured: People run from gunfire at the Las Vegas shooting

Since then, authorities have been trying to figure out Paddock’s moment be it fame or due to a mental illness. Pictured: People run from gunfire at the Las Vegas shooting

‘People are bewildered by the case – there’s a bewilderment, and there’s a horror,’ Dr Reid Meloy, a forensic psychologist and clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California San Diego, told The Wall Street Journal. 

Dr Meloy has spent 30 years researching and writing about topics including psychopathy, criminality, personality disorder and targeted violence.

He told the newspaper he is often asked questions about the Vegas shooting at conferences and lectures.

‘The most troubling cases are those without an answer,’ he said.

Russell Palarea, president of the threat-assessment firm Operational Psychology Services, said that when there is no grievance, the motive is often infamy. He said: ‘Some people kill for notoriety and infamy, and that’s what he did.’

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department conducted dozens of interviews with Paddock’s family, his ex-wife, his girlfriend, and his doctors, which didn’t reveal much.

Forensics lab have searched his cell phone, his computer, his browser history, but they didn’t provide any answers either.

As The Journal points out, Paddock did not leave a suicide note nor a manifesto, like past mass shooters have. 

‘We wish we knew more about it,’ said Dr John Nicoletti, a psychologist and partner in threat-assessment firm Nicoletti-Flater Associates, told the Wall Street Journal.

‘With all the missing data, what everybody says, it’s just speculation’   

During a news conference last year, authorities updated the timeline of the mass shooting, saying Paddock shot a hotel security guard before he opened fire on concert-goers.

Las Vegas Sheriff Joe Lombardo previously had said the guard was shot after Paddock had fired on the Route 91 Harvest Festival from his 32nd floor suite and the guard’s arrival in the hallway outside could have caused Paddock to stop shooting.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department conducted dozens of interviews with Paddock's family, his ex-wife, his girlfriend, and his doctors, which didn't reveal much. Pictured: Officers stand by as medical personnel tend to a person after the shooting

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department conducted dozens of interviews with Paddock’s family, his ex-wife, his girlfriend, and his doctors, which didn’t reveal much. Pictured: Officers stand by as medical personnel tend to a person after the shooting

Authorities also said that Paddock targeted two large jet fuel tanks, stocked his car with explosives and had personal protection gear as part of an escape plan.

Additionally, the 64-year-old had been attempting to drill a hole in an adjacent wall, potentially to mount another camera or to point a rifle through, but it was never completed, Lombardo said.

Lombardo expressed frustration with the pace of the investigation to pinpoint the motive behind Paddock’s motive to fire on the crowd of 22,000.

‘It’s because this individual purposely hid his actions leading up to this event, and it is difficult for us to find the answers to those actions,’ Lombardo said. ‘We believe he decided to take the lives he did and he had a very purposeful plan that he carried out.’

There is still no evidence that Paddock was motivated by ideology, or that there was another shooter.

Paddock's family have said that he didn't show any sign of mental illness and seemed to have his life together - after making millions from investing. Pictured: People lie on the ground after gun fire erupted at the Route 91 Harvest festival

Paddock’s family have said that he didn’t show any sign of mental illness and seemed to have his life together – after making millions from investing. Pictured: People lie on the ground after gun fire erupted at the Route 91 Harvest festival

There is still no evidence that Paddock was motivated by ideology, or that there was another shooter. Pictured: Paddock appears on security footage at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino days before the attack

There is still no evidence that Paddock was motivated by ideology, or that there was another shooter. Pictured: Paddock appears on security footage at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino days before the attack

While Paddock is white like the majority of mass shooters, he is not a young male nor did he have a social media account that gave hints about his intent.

Paddock’s family have said that he didn’t show any sign of mental illness and seemed to have his life together – after making millions from investing.

‘My brother was the most boring one in the family,’ Patrick Paddock told The New York Times last year. ‘He was the least violent one in the family, over a 30-year history, so it’s like, who?’

But investigators have since discovered that he started to show signs of angst in his final years, when he began to build up a massive stockpile of weapons.

Several people noted that he started to smell of alcohol often.

He was also reportedly prescribed the anti-anxiety drug Valium, which he was taking in its highest dose by June 2017.

The side effects of the drug – which include suicidal thoughts and unusual risk-taking behavior – can be magnified when mixed with alcohol.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk