On Sunday, Stephen Paddock killed 58 people and injured [nearly 500] others at the Route 91 Harvest festival in Las Vegas when he opened fire from a broken window in his hotel suite on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino across the street.
Police have now confirmed reports that one week before the attack, Paddock rented a room overlooking another Las Vegas festival: Life Is Beautiful.
The Life Is Beautiful festival took place from September 22 to 24 and featured artists like Chance the Rapper, Lorde, Gorillaz, and the xx.
The Daily Beast first reported that Paddock might have initially targeted the Life Is Beautiful festival when he rented multiple condos at the Ogden, a luxury condominium tower with a line of sight to the concert grounds.
Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo confirmed the report in a press conference on Wednesday. He said it was unclear why Paddock rented a room at the Ogden.
“Was he doing pre-surveillance? We don’t know yet,” Lombardo said.
Paddock checked into his room at the Mandalay Bay on September 28. Three days later, he shot into the crowd of about 22,000 concertgoers during the performance of the Route 91 Harvest festival’s headliner, Jason Aldean. It was the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history.
Police found Paddock dead in his room and recovered a total of 42 guns from his home and hotel room. His motive remains unclear.
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