FBI investigation finds 'no single motivating factor' for Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock

Las Vegas marquees go dark on the anniversary of the Route 91 festival massacre. 58 people were killed in, what became, the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. USA TODAY

The country music community will never know what prompted a high-stakes gambler to fire more than 1,000 bullets from his 32nd floor suite of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino into a crowd of about 22,000 country music fans on the Las Vegas Strip during the Route 91 Harvest Festival.

According to a final three-page behavioral report released Tuesday by the FBI, Stephen Craig Paddock wanted mass destruction but wasn't motivated by a grievance against anyone injured or killed in the attack.

The Oct. 1, 2017, shooting started at 10:05 p.m. and stretched for approximately 11 minutes. Fifty-eight people were killed and hundreds were wounded.

"It wasn't about MGM, Mandalay Bay or a specific casino or venue," said Aaron Rouse, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Las Vegas office. "It was all about doing the maximum amount of damage and him obtaining some form of infamy."

According to the report, 64-year-old Paddock acted alone when he planned and carried out the attack. He fatally shot himself after opening fire.

Nashville-based country singer Jason Aldean was in the midst of his set when the shooting broke out. Fellow country stars Jake Owen and Luke Combs were side stage while "Hangin' On" singer Chris Young was backstage with popular radio personality Storme Warren. Independent country singer Jordan Mitchell was also among those backstage.

"Just because the FBI can't determine a motive doesn't mean Paddock didn't have one, but we'll never know that," said Mitchell, who played an early set that Sunday from the Next of Nashville stage. "Motive wouldn't change things for me or, I think, make this any easier on the victims.

"This will always be an unmended hole inside me, but I hope we can all remember to spread love in the world, appreciate every day we are alive, and make the most of what we have left."

This undated photo provided by Eric Paddock shows his

This undated photo provided by Eric Paddock shows his brother, Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock. On Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017, Stephen Paddock opened fire on the Route 91 Harvest Festival killing dozens and wounding hundreds. (Photo: Courtesy of Eric Paddock via AP)

No motive provided for Paddock's massacre

The report concludes Paddock's reasoning for the rampage remains a mystery after nearly 12 months of evidence-gathering by the Las Vegas Metro Police Department and the FBI, as well as study by agents and behavioral specialists.

"We are in no way fully healed and may never be, but we are all a hell of a lot stronger and continue to move forward,"  Combs said in October while reflecting during the one-year anniversary of the shooting. "Forward for the victims, for their families, forward for the fans and forward for country music."

A retired postal service worker, accountant and real estate investor, Paddock owned rental properties and homes in Reno and in a retirement community more than an hour's drive from Las Vegas. He held a private pilot's license and gambled tens of thousands of dollars at a time playing high-stakes video poker.

In the report, the FBI's Las Vegas Review Panel highlighted 10 key findings about Paddock in its investigation:

His attack was neither directed, inspired nor enabled by ideologically-motivated people or groups. He conspired with no one and he acted alone.

There was no single motivating factor behind the attack.

Investigators found no manifesto, video, suicide note or other communication relating to the attack. However, he desired to die by suicide.

He wanted to gain infamy via a mass casualty attack and was influenced by the memory of his father, a convicted bank robber and diagnosed psychopath.

His decision to kill people while they were being entertained was consistent with his personality. He had a history of exploiting others through manipulation and duplicity, sometimes resulting in a cruel deprivation of their expectations without warning.

He had no ill will against a specific casino, hotel, the music festival or anyone killed or injured in the attack.

He engaged in significant, methodical, Internet-based research regarding site selection, police tactics and response and ballistics.

He did not plan to escape the Mandalay Bay hotel room after the attack and took multiple calculated steps to ensure he could kill himself at a time and in a matter of his choosing.

He kept interpersonal relationships and was not isolated before the attack.

Findings illustrate he was, in many ways, similar to other active shooters the FBI has studied.