7 New Details About Las Vegas Shooter Stephen Paddock's History And What His Alleged Prostitute Said About His Violent Tendencies
He reportedly told her that he was "born bad."
CBS News As we continue to process the senseless mass shooting that took 59 lives in Las Vegas Oct. 1, we’re learning more and more about the man behind the massacre, Stephen Paddock.
This past weekend, more details were revealed about the 64-year-old high-stakes gambler who carried out the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Paddock injured over 500 people when he started shooting into the crowd of the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival from his 32nd floor room at the nearby Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino.
More of the shooter's seemingly quiet life has been revealed following the attack, including details about his childhood, his violent and aggressive tendencies in bed and what was revealed in the note he left behind in his hotel room that night.
Not all this information has been verified by police — we’ll be sure to identify those details — and while one can speculate about Paddock’s motives after learning more about him, officials have still not released the cause of this mass attack.
Here’s what we know:
1. He called the hotel’s security before he started shooting.
Paddock reportedly called Mandalay Bay’s security twice to complain about loud music. However, he wasn’t referring to the music festival outside, but the noise coming from the floor below him.
Albert Garzon told the New York Times that security came by his room and asked him to turn down the country music he was playing around 1:30 a.m. When guards paid him another visit about his music a half hour later, he turned it off completely.
A staffer at the hotel said Paddock acted “abruptly” with them over some other issue, though it’s not sure what that issue was.
2. He was seen with a prostitute a few days before the attack.
According to police, the mystery woman Paddock was with days before the shooting is a prostitute.
Police didn’t elaborate on her identity.
3. A prostitute who claims she knew Paddock said he enjoyed violent rape fantasies.
A 27-year-old Las Vegas prostitute, who is remaining anonymous, is claiming that she was hired multiple times by Paddock.
According to her, he bragged about having “bad blood,” and described him as “paranoid,” and “obsessive.” If he had a winning streak at the casino, he would take her to his room for “really aggressive and violent sex,” that included rape fantasies.
She showed text messages from Paddock to The Sun that allegedly show him bragging about his bank-robber father and saying he was “born bad.” The prostitute also said he would rant about conspiracy theories and paid her $6,000 each time for their meetings.
Police have not confirmed these allegations or if this is the same prostitute seen with Paddock in the days before the shooting.
4. Police have more reason to suspect he had an accomplice.
Daily Mail
Apparently, some of the ammo Paddock had in his hotel room was bought under someone else’s name, giving police more reason to believe he was working with another person. Two people also ordered room service at some point during Paddock's stay.
But they still do not believe there was another shooter in Paddock’s room that night.
5. The note police found in Paddock’s room contained calculations.
According to police, the note found on the nightstand near his shooting platform had the distance, elevation and the drop of what his bullet would be for the crowd below.
Officials say his planning was far more extensive then what has been seen in other mass shootings.
6. He was described by his friends as a person who “tried to make people happy.”
Lisa Crawford of Dallas managed an apartment that Paddock owned from 2006 to 2012 and said that he cared about everybody.
“He tried to make people happy. He tried to make people care. And I don’t know what happened to him,” she said.
Weeks before the shooting, Crawford last spoke to Paddock through email, where he had sent her a message checking up on her after the hurricanes.
“I want closure for these people,” Crawford said. “I can’t believe that the person that I knew would even consider hurting somebody. I want so bad to have answers for people. I want to solve this. I want us to do whatever I can to tell the authorities to look here, look there.”
7. He gambled about 14 hours a day.
ABC News
According to a 2013 testimony obtained by CNN, Paddock described himself as being the “biggest video poker player in the world,” and gambling an average of 14 hours a day.
He also said he slept during the day and gambled all night, but didn’t drink a lot when he gambled so he didn’t affect his game.
Emily Blackwood is an editor at YourTango who covers pop culture, true crime, dating, relationships and everything in between. Every Wednesday at 10:20 p.m. you can ask her any and all questions about self-love, dating, and relationships LIVE on YourTango’s Facebook page. You can follow her on Instagram (@blackw00d) and Twitter (@emztweetz).