A gunman who opened fire on a crowded outdoor concert in Las Vegas Sunday night, Oct. 1, lived in Mesquite on a quiet cul-de-sac in the age-restricted retirement community of Sun City Mesquite.
Stephen Paddock, age 64, purchased the 2000-square foot home in January 2015 according to Clark County assessor records.
Quinn Averett, Mesquite Police Department Public Information Officer, told the Mesquite Local News that his department had never had any contact with the shooter.
Late Sunday night, a SWAT team from North Las Vegas arrived at Paddock’s home and immediately evacuated occupants of the surrounding homes. The SWAT team used a robot to surveil the home for any explosives or booby traps and then entered the empty house. The garage door was torn off when police officers entered the house.
According to MPD Police Chief Troy Tanner, ammunition was located in Paddock’s house. MPD Deputy Police Chief Scott Taylor told the MLN that while no weapons were immediately located, there was at least one locked, unopened safe that could possibly contain additional guns. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said the gunman had 10 weapons in the hotel room he occupied as he unleashed hundreds of rounds towards the crowd on the ground below him.
Tanner and Taylor both told the MLN that FBI and forensic teams were searching Paddock’s house for additional evidence that could assist in Las Vegas Metro’s investigation of the shooting that has been labeled as the worst mass shooting in U.S. history.
As of late Monday morning, Las Vegas media was reporting 58 people were confirmed dead with more than 500 people injured.
“While our guys are helping with the investigation, Las Vegas Metro is leading the investigation,” Tanner said.
“This is devastating and sad,” Averett said. “We want the Mesquite community to know they are safe. We don’t have any alerts or indications that there are any ongoing threats to them. The shooter is dead.”
Averett would not confirm or deny rumors that Paddock had recently converted to Islam and that the shooting attack was motivated or sponsored by ISIS. “We don’t have any information on that and it would be pure speculation on my part to say either way,” Averett said.
Yeah, blame it on ISIS. That’s a way to distract from the proliferation of military-grade weapons and murders by white men.
Nobody is blaming ISIS,…THEY claimed responsibility for this attack…that’s a completely different ball game.
Completely different ballgame being “accusation” vs. their own claim. Nobody other than ISIS said ISIS is responsible.
It appears that you are a happy customer of “Deep Roots”.
I’m glad that Ms. Ellestad mentioned the “speculation” about terrorist affiliation. Most of the news sources are saying that he converted a few months ago which is pretty scary. ISIS says they claim it….FBI and news reports say there aren’t any known affiliations, thank you Ms. Ellestad and Officer Averett for letting us know that there isn’t enough evidence at this point to say either way (which means there wasn’t enough evidence to point toward it) and that the MPD feels that Mesquite residents are safe. This is all over national news and there are several conflicting reports…I feel more comfortable trusting those reports from the people in our own backyard.
You have got to be kidding! This guy was well known around Mesquite as a gambler and drinker at local casinos. Not a likely convert to ultra Islam. Especially in his mid 60’s. More likely he was fired up from the constant Foxnews on TV in the Sun City community center and the steady drumbeat of divisiveness and complaining coming from there. But ISIS, what a joke Teri. Even worse, it distorts the truth.
You have to be kidding, this guy wasn’t even known by his neighbors OR the casino personnel in the casinos he frequented. 99% didn’t even know of him until yesterday. Well known around town…that’s a joke right? Again, I didn’t claim the ISIS thing, it’s on the news reports, THEY claimed it. I sure didn’t say that I believed it but since they’ve said they claim it…we shouldn’t just blow it off either. They claim lot of B.S. that isn’t really them and we ignore it…one day that claim won’t be false. They’ve probably read an Aesop’s fable or two. This was NOT just someone who went off the deep end, this was very well planned…and
he may not have planned this as a single attack or at least that’s what it appears since he was found with plenty of explosive materials in his car as well as an arsenal in his home here. This was a very calculated move…Not saying people don’t go off in the heat of the moment but there seems to have been no heat building up to this but nothing is without explanation.
The WE I refer to is those of us who don’t do anything to stop these shootings. The WE I refer to is us who don’t hold our elected officials accountable. (Like Dean Heller who can’t be bothered with this… until Trump shows up). The WE I refer to is those who say our thoughts and prayers are with you, then go about their business.
Anyone who would repeat the ISIS claim is just practicing poor journalism. In this country, there have been 521 mass shootings in 477 days. In this country, you are much more likely to get killed by your neighbor than any terrorist act. There’s a story Teri, go with it.
Mr. Locke, what would you suggest WE do to stop something that NOBODY was aware of? Short of putting a psychic on city payroll, I can’t see how WE can do anything to help stop these assaults…I guess all the cities that are involved in those 521 shootings need one too because not one of those 521 shootings were stopped. And speaking about “going on about your business…” isn’t that what you’re doing by reading the news, posting comments and arguing your point? NOBODY is responsible for this but the person who purchased the ammo and guns, the person who rented that hotel room and the person who pulled the trigger…that person is ONE person…Stephen Paddock. How dare you put blame on anyone in this community but the shooter. Why didn’t YOU stop him?
My opinion, not that of the MLN, just mine…I don’t know about the rest of Mesquite, but I sure don’t feel responsible for the actions of a person I never even laid eyes on, I don’t feel guilty for not trying to stop something that I wasn’t aware of. Yes, it’s tragic but life goes on just as it has since the beginning of time. Going on with our lives doesn’t mean we don’t care, it doesn’t mean that we are responsible either…Are you still living your life after 911, Oklahoma City, Columbine?
Just because we go on with our lives doesn’t mean we don’t have sympathy for the victims, are you seriously suggesting that the WE stop EVERYTHING because of a tragedy? If WE did, NOTHING would ever get accomplished…the world is full of tragedy.
This is a tragic, heartbreaking massacre and says what is wrong with American culture. We are the ones who do this, not ISIS or anyone else. We refuse to hold our politicians accountable yet always wonder WHY these shootings happen all the time. Like the other guy said Sun City Mesquite is epicenter of these kind of guys sitting in their community center watching Foxnews all day long. Add a little dementia and you have a ticking time bomb. To connect this to ISIS is to be ignorant of the fact that WE are the cause of these shootings. If you fail to recognize that, you may as well say the guy did it because he didn’t like country music.
WE are the problem and that’s what this newspaper should write about. If you don’t believe it, there’s a seat waiting for you in Sun City in front of their TV with all the other bitter Foxnews believers. You’ll have a front row seat for the next shooting.
You are so wrong, WE did not do this. HE, Stephen Paddock, did this. HE was alone, alone does not go along with WE. What exactly do the politicians have to do with this? By the way…nice opinion of the people who live in the town you call home. I know a ton of Sun City residents who do anything but sit home and watch television. Seriously, you choose to live in this Epicenter, do you seriously think that this town spawns people like Stephen Paddock? Why do you live here then?
I have been reading your thoughts on this and I wholeheartedly agree with you. Stephen Paddock is the person who did this and where he came from or what his reasons were, are not important. He was a very sick person. Yes, we have problems in America with Economics, Politicians etc..But that doesn’t give anyone a reason to behave how he did. People should take responsibility for their lives, not kill others for any reason!
Ugh, it is so sad that we live in a world where people feel the need to take out their anger or frustrations out on others. We are all flawed and we are all a part of each other and a part of this universe. I hope someday humans can stop hurting each other and realize we are all in this life together!
Amen Rita!
Robert Bishop: Update on Sun City Residents: After reading your comments, the residents of Sun City were rounded up, tattooed, given special pajamas and sent to work in the concentration casinos. Don’t be afraid Robert, they all must wear armbands when going out in public so good clean intelligent men as yourself can easily identify those fascist Fox News guys/gals. Robert, my scared little friend, no need to pee yourself anymore as the Sun City Epicenter has changed the channel to your favorite “truth” news, CNN, and now all the residents just sit there and drool on themselves like…well…just like you.
I’ve been using different sources for my information and I’ve yet to see one that claims he converted to ISIS. If a commentator in an opinion segment speculated to that effect, that’s far different than claiming the news sources are themselves making that claim. But it does fit the narrative that all of the main news sources are untrustworthy.
Again, nobody here is claiming he converted to ISIS, they said he converted to Muslim (totally different). It was simply a statement saying that ISIS has claimed responsibility for this attack. Check the reports again. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=ISIS+claiming+responsibility+for+Las+Vegas+Shooting&view=detail&mid=CD419AC996D7302C8B48CD419AC996D7302C8B48&FORM=EWREVC&mmscn=wnmp&ru=%2fsearch%3fq%3dISIS%2bclaiming%2bresponsibility%2bfor%2bLas%2bVegas%2bShooting%26form%3dIENTHT%26mkt%3den-us%26httpsmsn%3d1%26refig%3d1a6be96f29d44a9cdf198d33992b2038%26sp%3d-1%26ghc%3d1%26pq%3dundefined%26sc%3d0-34%26qs%3dn%26sk%3d%26cvid%3d1a6be96f29d44a9cdf198d33992b2038 besides dozens of other reports that ISIS claims responsibility. Now JUST BECAUSE I said they’ve claimed it DOESN’T mean I believe it…the undisputable point is…They claimed it PERIOD. I can’t believe you’ve missed them.
Hell Teri,
I am sorry you have to keep trying to explain the ISIS comment in Barbara’s article to those who apparently did not read it, or who must otherwise have very poor comprehension skills. It is obvious that many of the comments posted here, are by folks who have a predetermined viewpoint, and will not let reason nor facts change the narrative they worship.
I am surprised at the tone of many of these comments as I see nothing inflammatory in the original article. Mark, your comment sums it up nicely,
I would love to hear Morris’ take on all this. My heart goes out to all those affected, absolutely, but in this space I would like to share my sorrow with those in the Sun City community. It is hard to be that close to such a tragic event and not feel an extra sense of grief. As for the ISIS connection, I hope and pray that is fake news. We will probably never know the precise truth and maybe we are not meant to.
I feel for you Mesquite, your attachment to this is to close to my heart. I have many fond memories of you all and the area. And this does not resonate as to the type of people who inhabit that fine community.
Marty, We all pray that it is fake news. Thank you for your comment. You are correct, there are some facts about this that we will probably never be privy to.