Stephen Paddock, Las Vegas Shooting Suspect, Identified

October 2, 2017 in News by Ken

NBC

The suspect in the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history has been identified as Stephen Paddock, authorities said.

Paddock, 64, is from Mesquite, Nev., about 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas and had been known to local law enforcement.

The shooting is not believed to be connected to international terrorism, NBC News has learned.

Paddock was a licensed pilot, who owned two planes. He also had a hunting license from Alaska.

It is believed he lived in a retirement community in Mesquite.

At least 50 people were killed when Paddock opened fire into a crowd of approximately 22,000 at an outdoor country music festival from the 32nd floor of Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on Sunday night, police said.

Police said 406 people had been transported to hospitals.

Police responded to reports of the shooting just after 10 p.m. (1 a.m. ET), and later killed the suspected gunman — a local resident — in the Mandalay Bay Resort, he added.

It is still not known what kind of weapon Paddock used, but officials said many weapons were recovered from the hotel room Paddock was in at Mandalay Bay.

Officials were searching for Marilou Danley, who they identified as an Asian female companion traveling with the suspect, said Lombardo.

Just before 7 a.m. ET, police tweeted that they had “located the female person of interest.”

Authorities described having found several weapons in Paddock’s hotel room after the shooting.