Las Vegas: A Deadly Massacre

Fifty-eight people were killed and nearly five hundred people are recovering from a massacre shooting on Sunday, October 1, 2017 while attending a country music concert, in Las Vegas, starring American country singer, Jason Aldean.
According to Las Vegas authorities, at around 10 p.m., multiple shots were reported coming from the direction of Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.
The shooting lasted approximately 11 minutes. It was deemed the deadliest mass shooting in US history.
The gunman, Stephan Paddock, a 64-year-old retired accountant, selected the room at the Mandalay Bay due to its vantage point of the concert area down below. There in his room on the 32nd floor, Paddock fired shots out of the windows into a crowd of approximately 22,000 people.
FBI Deputy Director, Andrew McCabe, told CNBC that the lack of motive was a surprise in this mass shooting. “This one [case] is somewhat different than many of the ones we’ve dealt with in the past, because we don’t have any immediately accessible thumbprints [figuratively] that would indicate the shooters ideology or motivation, or really what compelled him to get there,” says McCabe.
Authorities believe that Paddock acted alone, and the FBI is still going through the gunman’s communications, financial records, interviewing known associates and reviewing video surveillance in order to piece together his motive.
Evidence shows that Paddock carefully planned the shooting; he purchased 33 firearms, mostly rifles, between October 2016 and September 2017, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) spokesperson, familiar with the investigation. He checked into the room days in advance, stashing weapons and ammunition. Some had been fitted with a bump-stock that allows bullets to be fired rapidly. In addition, Paddock had set up cameras inside the hotel suite, in the hallway, and one in the peephole for viewing outside the suite’s door.
When a security guard approached Paddock’s room, gunfire ceased momentarily, resuming when he shot through the room’s door striking Jesus Campos, in his right leg.
When police officers entered the hotel room, the gunman was found dead with the assumption that he killed himself.
A total of 47 guns have been recovered from Paddock’s hotel room and his two Nevada homes in Verdi and Mesquite. The guns were bought in Nevada, Utah, California and Texas said Jill Snyder, special agent in charge of ATF field division in San Francisco.
Authorities found thousands of rounds of ammunition in Paddock’s Mesquite home along with explosive ingredients inside his car.
Paddock’s girlfriend, Marilou Danley, a native of the Philippines, is presumed to have been sent there weeks in advance of the shooting so that Paddock could complete his plan.
Paddock wired $100,000 to the Philippines; the details are still being sought, while the recipient is still unknown.
Authorities are still questioning Danley with hopes of her providing more information on a possible motive.
Family and friends of Paddock are shocked at his violent transformation and perplexed. They too have no inkling as to what his motive would be for this violent shooting.
On October 4, President Trump praised the work of first responders, hospital staff, local leaders, and the people of Las Vegas.
“Words cannot describe the bravery that the whole world witnessed on Sunday night,” Trump said. “When… the worst of humanity strikes, and strike it did, the best of humanity responds.”
A GoFundMe account has been set-up for the victims of this deadly shooting in Las Vegas. It has raised over $9 million with a stated goal of $15 million for victims and their families.