A mysterious piece of paper was found in the Las Vegas hotel room where Stephen Paddock is believed to have opened fire on a crowd of concertgoers on Sunday night, killing 58 people.
The New York Times reports that authorities found a piece of paper with cryptic notes written on it in Paddock’s 32nd-floor hotel room at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino.
According to the report, that note contained numbers that investigators are still trying to decipher. Law enforcement officials told the New York Times that the document was not what could be considered a killer manifesto or a suicide note. Authorities have not released further details at this time.
Investigators are still working to piece together a clear motive for the shooting massacre, the deadliest in U.S. history. As CrimeOnline previously reported, Paddock’s behaviors in the weeks leading up to the killing suggest he may have been considering additional or alternative locations. In August, he rented a hotel room in Chicago overlooking the Lalapalooza music festival, but did not appear for his reservation. Paddock also did online searches related to event venues in Boston, including Fenway Park, but it is not known if he traveled there in person.
Paddock was reportedly in Las Vegas a week before the deadly shooting. He rented a luxury Airbnb apartment with views of the Life is Beautiful music festival. Investigators have said they are not clear if the earlier visit to Las Vegas was a scouting trip or if Paddock had any plans for violence that weekend.
Steven B. Wolfson, Clark County’s district attorney, told the New York Times that it is highly unusual for a person to commit mass violence without in some way revealing their motivations. He reportedly said that in “99 percent of cases,” the perpetrator will reveal their intentions behind the carnage.
“Most of the time, you don’t defend it, you don’t accept it, but you hear the why,” Wolfson told the newspaper.
“I’ve been doing this a long time and I can’t remember another homicide — and then you multiply what I’m about to say by 58 — where you don’t know why.”
[Feature image: Associated Press]
