After his horrific attack on unarmed and unaware victims at the Mandalay Bay hotel – the deadliest mass shooting by an individual in American history at 58 fatalities and over 400 wounded – Stephen Paddock killed himself. No lengthy suicide note was reported as discovered, leaving few clues as to the motive of the man behind the murders. The only note reported as found was the calculations the gunman had made beforehand in order to maximize his lethality , figuring for distance, elevation, and bullet drop according to the Independent . A litany of anecdotal stories tell the sordid tale of an antisocial man, a rude man, and at times a calculatingly abusive man. The same stories also share the sentiment of a cunning, intelligent gambler who was observant of his surroundings to a fault.
In a ream of documents released today on court order, a few more personal stories surrounding the personality of the Las Vegas gunman emerged. CNN recounts the testimony of Paddock’s housekeeper during his final, fateful stay at the Mandalay Bay.
The gunman allegedly kept to himself, eating soup that he ordered from room service while using his computer. His garbage bins remained free of waste, unused for the most part. However, when the housekeeper cleaned his room for the last time four days before the massacre, she was unnerved by his constant gaze.
“… At first she didn’t mind him being there but she grew uneasy.”
“He (kept) staring at me,” she said.
Corroborated by stories of fellow gamblers, the portrait of Stephen Paddock seems to become clearer, attaining focus. A long-serving host for Caesar’s Entertainment claims he had a lengthy professional rapport with Paddock over the years, having served him as a guest many times. The host conceded that Paddock was indeed a skilled gambler, a story backed up by the earlier interviews from other high-rollers that had sat across the games table from the gunman. However, the host recalled an event in which Paddock grew irate over late luggage, yelling at the host. The former worker for Caesar’s Entertainment capped off his commentary on Stephen Paddock simply, describing him as odd – and when pressed – as “just weird.”
Authorities still do not know why Stephen Paddock decided to fire, seemingly indiscriminately, into a crowd of people last October. It is unclear whether law enforcement officials or the public may ever discern any deeper motivation for the tragedy, but one thing is certain – there are more documents to face deeper scrutiny and analysis to come and a public thirst to know more.
