A Las Vegas sheriff says the man who killed 58 people at a country music festival in the city last month had lost a significant amount of money in the two years before the shooting and had “bouts of depression.”
Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo told Las Vegas news station KLAS-TV that the loss of money may have been a “determining factor” in why gunman Stephen Paddock carried out the mass shooting.
Investigators have still not determined exactly what led Paddock to open fire at a country music festival on Oct. 1 from his high-rise suite. Paddock fatally shot himself after the mass shooting, which also left more than 500 people wounded.
“Since September 2015, he’s lost a significant amount of wealth, and I think that might have been a determining factor on what he was determined to do,” Lombardo said in the interview.
He described Paddock as a narcissist who may have seen his image as a high-rolling gambler declining.
“This individual was status-driven based on how he liked to be recognized in the casino environment and how he liked to be recognized by his friends and family,” the sheriff said.
“So obviously that was starting to decline in the short period of time and that may have had a determining effect on why decided to do what he did.”
Lombardo confirmed that the gunman’s girlfriend, Marilou Danley, continues to be interviewed and is still considered a “person of interest.” Danley has repeatedly denied knowing anything about the attack.
Lombardo said investigators have found that Paddock carefully planned his attack and was “purposeful in concealing his actions.” He said hard drives that were removed from the computers found at Paddock’s hotel have not been found.
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