FBI: No motive found in Vegas attack

The FBI concluded its 16-month investigation into the 2017 Las Vegas massacre on Tuesday, saying it found no specific motive behind the shooting that killed 58 people. On Oct. 1, 2017, Stephen Paddock fired more than 1,000 bullets in 11 minutes from a 32nd-floor hotel suite into a crowd of 22,000 country music fans at an outdoor festival. More than 400 people were shot but survived, and hundreds more were injured in the panicking crowd. Paddock, who acted alone, fatally shot himself as police closed in on him in his Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino suite.

The bureau released a long-awaited report on Tuesday that found no “single or clear motivating factor” to explain why Paddock, 64, planned and executed the mass shooting. “It wasn’t about MGM, Mandalay Bay, or a specific casino or venue,” said Aaron Rouse, the agent in charge of the FBI Las Vegas office. “It was all about doing the maximum amount of damage and him obtaining some form of infamy.”

The report, compiled by the FBI Behavior Analysis Unit, said Paddock’s father’s reputation as a bank robber who was once on the FBI’s most wanted list might have inspired him. It also said Paddock’s physical and mental health was declining. The retired postal service worker, accountant, and real estate investor had complained that he was sick and depressed months before the shooting. His brother called him the “king of microaggression”—narcissistic and detail-oriented. He also had a gambling habit that made him a sought-after casino patron.

But the FBI could find no evidence that any group directed or inspired his plot, nor was he seeking to further any agenda. He was a loner with no religious or political affiliations, and he did not leave a manifesto or suicide note. “He acted alone. He committed a heinous act. He died by his own hand,” Rouse said. “If he wanted to leave a message, he would have left a message. Bottom line is he didn’t want people to know.”