Like father like son? Dad of Las Vegas shooter was a notorious robber, once on FBI’s most wanted list

Seems bad deed and crime runs in the Paddock family. Patrick Benjamin Paddock, the father of Stephen Paddock who killed more than 58 people when he opened fire on a concert-goers in Las Vegas, in an attack recorded as the deadliest mass shooting in the history of America, was once a notorious robber and also on the FBI’s 10 most wanted list during the 1960’s and 1970’s.

Reports say the violent nature of his bank robberies at the time made him one of the most notorious criminals in the US during his heydays and an FBI poster that is available online says that the Las Vegas killer’s father was “diagnosed as psychopathic”.

Information at the time also has it that he carried firearms in commission of bank robberies” and “reportedly had suicidal tendencies and should be considered armed and very dangerous.”

Read also: US records deadliest mass shooting in its history, 50 dead, 400 injured

Local news reports soon after his crimes were reported to have said that neighbours “couldn’t believe that the colorful businessman, then 34 years old, was involved in crime”. Another report says that he was captured in 1978, when he was running a bingo parlor.

The motive of his sons recent attack is still yet to be determined after he opened fire at music lovers gathered at the event outside a building at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, in Las Vegas killing 59 people and injuring more than 500 others.

Reports say more than 22,000 people were in attendance at the concert staged as part of activities for the Route 91 country festival on the popular Las Vegas Strip in the US state of Nevada, when the gunman opened fire.

A statement by Las Vegas police revealed that the suspected shooter who fired into the crowd from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel was later found dead in his hotel room.

 

 

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