Las Vegas concert shooter spent some of childhood in Tucson
Oct 2, 2017, 3:36 PM | Updated: 3:36 pm
This undated photo provided by Eric Paddock shows his brother, Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock. Stephen Paddock opened fire on the Route 91 Harvest Festival on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017, killing dozens and wounding hundreds. (Courtesy of Eric Paddock via AP)
(Courtesy of Eric Paddock via AP)
PHOENIX — Stephen Paddock, the man suspected of opening fire on an outdoor country music concert in Las Vegas on Sunday, spent some of his childhood in Tucson.
A 1971 newspaper article from the Tucson Daily News said Paddock lived in the southern Arizona city with his parents and three siblings.
The story was about Paddock’s father, Benjamin, who was placed on the FBI’s most-wanted list after he escaped from a Texas jail. Benjamin was serving a 20-year sentence for robbing a bank in 1960.
Paddock likely lived in Tucson when he was about 7 years old. It was unknown how long the family lived there.
A neighbor, Eva Price, took him swimming while FBI agents searched the family home during his father’s arrest.
She told the Tucson Citizen at the time: “We’re trying to keep Steve from knowing his father is held as a bank robber. I hardly know the family, but Steve is a nice boy. It’s a terrible thing.”
The paper said Benjamin sold garbage disposals, operated a gas station and sold used cars during his time in Tucson.
Paddock opened fire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino on Sunday. He killed more than 50 people at the Route 91 Harvest Festival.
Another 500 people were injured.
“I can’t even make something up,” his bewildered brother, Eric, told reporters Monday. “There’s just nothing.”
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility, without offering evidence, but Aaron Rouse, the FBI agent in charge in Las Vegas, said investigators saw no connection to international terrorism.
Asked about a potential motive, Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said he could not “get into the mind of a psychopath at this point.”
A Las Vegas Police SWAT team said Paddock was found dead. At least 17 weapons were found in the room, the Associated Press reported.
Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said they believe this was a “lone wolf” attack. The FBI was assisting the investigation.
A Homeland Security official said there was no specific “credible threat” to other public venues in the U.S.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
