FBI documents recently made public suggest that Stephen Paddock, the alleged gunman responsible for the deadliest shooting in modern American history, was upset with casinos.
On Oct. 1, 2017, Paddock opened fire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Casino and Resort in Las Vegas, killing 59 people and injuring over 500 others.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — FBI documents show gunman who killed 60 people in 2017 Las Vegas shooting was angry about how casinos were treating him.
— T. Grant Benson (@GrantB911) March 30, 2023
The FBI notes how Paddock was a frequent video poker player, with a bankroll of between $2 million and $3 million.
He had previously managed apartment complexes and worked for the U.S. Postal Service and the Internal Revenue Service. Paddock was not considered politically active and had no previous interest in firearms, according to the documents.
A fellow gambler expressed concerns that Paddock and other high rollers were not being treated well by casinos, and that the stress of this treatment could have caused him to seek violence.
In the weeks before the shooting, Paddock had lost tens of thousands of dollars gambling, the documents state.
The unnamed acquaintance told investigators that Paddock “was very upset at the way casinos were treating him and other high rollers,” according to the documents. And said he was “personally upset and stressed out about the treatment he and other high rollers received in recent years and believed the stress could have easily caused Paddock to ‘snap.’”
Casinos in recent years have changed their approach to high rollers, banning them from certain events, hotels, and sometimes even casinos. High rollers were once showered with gifts and perks.
The documents were recently made public after The Wall Street Journal filed a public records request.
The gunman who killed 60 people in the 2017 Las Vegas shooting had lost tens of thousands while gambling weeks before the mass shooting and was upset about how the casinos had treated him, according to FBI documents made public this week. https://t.co/P2MdY1ELS3
— The Associated Press (@AP) March 30, 2023
