Motive for Las Vegas attack remains a mystery

President Donald Trump called the man who opened fire on more than 20,000 people attending an outdoor concert in Las Vegas Sunday night a “very, very sick individual” and promised law enforcement officials would investigate him “very seriously.” But more than 36 hours after 64-year-old Stephen Craig Paddock launched his attack from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel, investigators still know almost nothing about what motivated him. The death toll rose to 59 overnight, and officials warn it could rise further, based on the number of victims who remain in critical condition at five Las Vegas hospitals. Police say 515 people suffered injuries in the attack. What investigators have uncovered so far suggests Paddock meticulously planned his attack to maximize casualties. Investigators discovered 23 guns, some with scopes, in the room Paddock had occupied since Thursday. He also had two “bump stocks,” which can turn semi-automatic weapons into fully automatic killing machines. At his home in Mesquite, Nev., just outside Las Vegas, police found 19 more guns, explosives, and thousands of rounds of ammunition. They also discovered several pounds of ammonium nitrate, which can be used to make explosives, in his car. Family members expressed shock at the latest discoveries, insisting Paddock never showed an interest in guns, politics, or religion. When asked what might have prompted his brother to kill so many innocent people, his brother Eric Paddock said, “I can’t even make something up. There’s just nothing.”