On the night of October 1, 2017, 64-year-old Stephen Paddock opened fire on a crowd of concertgoers at the Route 91 Harvest music festival on the Las Vegas Strip, firing more than 1,100 rounds from his suite on the 32nd floor of the nearby Mandalay Bay hotel, killing 60 people and leaving 867 injured.
Paddock had checked into the Mandalay Bay on September 25, 2017, bringing multiple suitcases to his room.
He later booked an additional connected suite, Room 32-134, both of which overlooked the festival grounds.
During his stay, he interacted with hotel staff on multiple occasions, all of which were reported as normal.
Inside his hotel suite, authorities discovered 24 firearms, including:
– Fourteen .223-caliber AR-15-type semi-automatic rifles
– Eight .308-caliber AR-10-type rifles
– One .308-caliber Ruger American bolt-action rifle
– One .38-caliber Smith & Wesson Model 342 revolver
In addition to the firearms, Paddock’s vehicle contained ammonium nitrate, 1,600 rounds of ammunition, and 50 pounds of Tannerite, a binary explosive used for target practice.
While authorities noted his possession of these materials, there was no evidence he had assembled an explosive device.
The firearms found in Paddock’s hotel room and residences were legally purchased across multiple states, including Nevada, California, Texas, and Utah.
Investigations revealed that he had attempted to purchase tracer ammunition but was unsuccessful due to stock shortages. He later acquired tracer rounds from a private seller at a gun show in Phoenix, Arizona.
The attack concluded with Paddock’s death from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) concluded that Paddock acted alone and was not driven by any political, religious, or ideological agenda.
Despite a lengthy investigation, law enforcement authorities have not identified a clear motive for the shooting. Authorities confirmed that Paddock did not leave a suicide note or manifesto explaining his intentions.
In March 2023, six years after the Las Vegas shooting, the FBI released documents suggesting that Paddock may have been dissatisfied with the treatment he and other high-stakes gamblers received from Las Vegas casinos.
However, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department stated that this information did not provide a conclusive motive.
