The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) on Friday released a preliminary report on the mass shooting that took place on Oct. 1 of last year, and it has concluded that the shooter, Stephen Paddock, acted alone and had not been radicalized by ISIS or any other terrorist organization.
The new report, while preliminary, has concluded that there was only one shooter – “only one person responsible” – for the massacre that took place on Oct. 1, 2017, the LVMPD said Friday. And, investigators found “disturbing search history” on Paddock’s computers – including child pornography and ballistics research. But Paddock did not leave a suicide note or manifesto, and no ideology or radicalization was discovered, the department said.
On Oct. 1, 2017, 64-year-old Paddock killed 58 people and injured hundreds of others in Las Vegas in what is now the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
Las Vegas Shooting (Twitter)
Paddock rained down fire on the Route 91 Harvest Festival from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. Paddock was found dead in his room, along with several weapons that he had rigged to be similar to automatic weapons.
While authorities have still not yet established a motive in the case, ISIS at that time took credit for the massacre. The terrorist group had also said Paddock converted to Islam six months before the shooting.
That is not the case, according to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Joe Lombardo, who presented the report at a press conference on Friday afternoon.
It’s not protocol to release preliminary reports such as this, Lombardo pointed out, but he wanted to do so because of the public interest in the case.
“I’ve lost a lot of sleep over this,” he said.
Some of the key findings of the report are as follows:
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Paddock acted alone. Thousands of hours of digital media were reviewed and after all the interviews conducted, no evidence exists to indicate Paddock conspired with or acted in collusion with anybody else. This includes video surveillance, recovered DNA19 and analysis of cellular phones and computers belonging to Paddock.
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No suicide note or manifesto was found. Of all the evidence collected from rooms 32-135 and 32-134, there was no note or manifesto stating Paddock’s intentions. The only handwritten documentation found in either room was the small note indicating measurements and distances related to the use of rifles.
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There was no evidence of radicalization or ideology to support any theory that Paddock supported or followed any hate groups or any domestic or foreign terrorist organizations. Despite numerous interviews with Paddock’s family, acquaintances and gambling contacts, investigators could not link Paddock to any specific ideology.
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Paddock committed no crimes leading up to the October 1st mass shooting. All the weapons he purchased to include all the ammunition, were purchased legally. This includes all the purchases Paddock made at gun stores as well as online purchases. Paddock did not commit a crime until he fired the first round into the crowd at the Las Vegas Village.
