But after a lengthy investigation, a team of investigators and behavioral analysts could not determine a “single or clear motivating factor” behind Paddock’s October 2017 attack, the report concluded. In the years before the mass shooting, Paddock had complained about his declining physical and mental health, which led him to meticulously plan the attack with the explicit intention of committing suicide in the end, the FBI found.
“His inability or unwillingness to perceive any alternatives to this ending influenced his decision to attack,” stated the report, which lists 10 findings over three pages. “The planning and preparation — in and of itself — was likely satisfying to Paddock as it provided a sense of direction and control despite his mental and physical decline.”
Yet Paddock left no suicide note, manifesto or communication about the attack or his thinking, investigators said. The FBI report underscored the lingering mystery of the rampage, echoing the frustrations expressed by investigators just days after the attack — that Paddock had carefully covered his tracks, had not told anyone about his plans and had no obvious motivations.
“The LVRP’s Key Findings illustrate that Paddock was, in many ways, similar to other active shooters the FBI has studied,” the report said, referring to the Las Vegas Review Panel, a group of investigators, psychologists and other experts who analyzed evidence for more than a year.
The report portrays Paddock as heavily influenced by his father, a notorious bank robber in the 1960s and ‘70s who landed on the FBI’s most wanted list, and as being devoid of empathy for others. According to the report, he viewed people much the same way he approached gambling: A life, like every bet, was transactional.
That mindset led him to target the Route 91 Harvest Festival, the country music show below his suite on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.
“He had a history of exploiting others through manipulation and duplicity, sometimes resulting in a cruel deprivation of their expectations without warning,” the FBI said in the report.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.