Meticulous Planning by Las Vegas Gunman Before He Opened Fire
Twelve of the rifles Mr. Paddock had in his luxury suite on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino were outfitted with a “bump stock,” a device
that enables a gun to fire hundreds of rounds per minute, like a machine gun, which may explain how he was able to rain such devastation on the crowd below, law enforcement officials said.
According to a law enforcement official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly
and spoke on the condition of anonymity, investigators also were looking into whether Mr. Paddock had planned an earlier attack in Las Vegas before deciding to target the concert Sunday night.
LAS VEGAS — Before he mowed down concertgoers from a perch high in a hotel tower, Stephen C. Paddock created a ring of surveillance around him, with video cameras in his suite
and in the hallway, law enforcement officials said on Tuesday.
President Trump, who is expected to visit Las Vegas on Wednesday, said on Tuesday
that Mr. Paddock was “a sick man, a demented man,” adding that “we are dealing with a very, very sick individual.” He said there would be some discussion about firearms legislation, but was not specific.