The biggest mass shooting in American History. Stephen Paddock, a 64 year old, gambling, accountant gave no signs of being the man that caused 59 deaths and 527 injuries. His younger brother, Eric, said that to his knowledge, he had no political or terrorist affiliations at all. In Mandala Bay Hotel, Paddock was found with 17 guns in all on the 32nd floor. Among the guns, there were automatic rifles, military edition, and hand-guns. Due to the fact that the guns were fully automatic, they are believed to be purchased illegally, or converted from semi-automatic to automatic. After searching his house in Mesquite, 80 miles from Las Vegas, at least 18 additional firearms, explosives, and several thousand rounds of ammunition were found. Paddock had been divorced twice and never lived in the same place for very long. He had his pilot's license and flew planes for hobby, but above that he was an avid gambler. Perhaps the most interesting thing that was found about him was the fact that his father was a bank robber. Benjamin Hoskins Paddock was on the most wanted list from June 10th, 1969 to May 5, 1977. His father escaped prison and was on the run until he was arrested in 1978. His father was reported as a psychopathic and was highly dangerous with suicidal tendencies. This qualities were clearly emulated in his son on October 1st, but there was no evidence supporting that he was anything other than typical.
The fact that Stephen's father was a bank robber seemed to not have affected his life at all growing up. The four kids were raised thinking that their father was dead, they didn't know he was alive until one of the boys went to the Air Force Academy and found out that his dad had been a decorated war vet, and was still alive. Stephen stayed out of trouble his whole life and it came as quite a shock to his brother to find that he had committed such a large scale shooting. The man was rich and lived a comfy lifestyle gambling his money away. I don't see how such a ordinary person could do such horrible crimes. I feel like there is a crucial missing point to the story, people do not just decide to carry out shootings for no reason unless they are certifiably insane; and there was no evidence suggesting that Stephen Paddock had any issues other than a love for poker.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/02/us/las-vegas-attack-stephen-paddock-trnd/index.html
It makes me so sad that anyone would do such a terrible thing. Its so scary. This has effected so many people and will forever be a terrible thing that happened in history, but we can come together and use it to make us stronger.
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