Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
World
Harriet Agerholm

Stephen Paddock: Las Vegas gunman identified by police as 64-year-old white male

The suspected gunman in the mass shooting at a music festival in Las Vegas has been named 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.

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.

:: Follow the latest updates on the Las Vegas shooting here

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, was believed to have been firing down at concert-goers from the 32nd floor.

The first photo to emerge of Stephen Paddock

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 the room.

Confirming the suspect's name, Las Vegas Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said police had "located numerous firearms", including rifles, in the hotel room.

Police said they did not consider the suspect a terrorism and did not  believe he  was connected to militant groups.

In a later press briefing, Sheriff Lombardo said police had found nothing to suggest a motive for the attack. 

When asked why they were not treating the incident as an act of terrorism, Sheriff Lombardo said: "We have to establish what his motivation is first.

"There is 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."

Yet following the press briefing, Isis claimed responsibility for the massacre, saying Paddock was "a soldier of the Islamic State".

Records show Paddock lived in a three-year-old, $396,000 (£297,554) two-bedroom home in the small retirement and golf community of 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.

The suspect's brother, Eric Paddock, said the family was stunned by the news.

“We have no idea. We're horrified. We're bewildered and our condolences go out to the victims,” Eric Paddock told Reuters in a telephone interview, his voice trembling. “We have no idea in the world."

Sheriff Lombardo said: "We are looking at in excess of 50 individuals dead and over 200 individuals injured ... Obviously this is a tragic incident and one that we have never experienced in this valley. My condolences go out to the loved ones."

Las Vegas police department confirmed that two off-duty police officers were among the dead.

At least two on-duty officers were also injured. One is 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 launched a public manhunt for Ms Danley, but later said she was no longer a person of interest.

US President Donald Trump responded to the massacre on Twitter, saying: "My warmest condolences and sympathies to the victims and families of the terrible Las Vegas shooting. God bless you!"

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.