FOLLOW US

The deadliest mass shooting in US history occurred on October 1, 2017. The Las Vegas mass shooter, Stephen Paddock killed 58 people and was responsible for over 500 injuries.

Letters that have just been made public shed light on what was going on behind the scenes. In the letters, Jim Nixon, a friend of the gunman pleaded with him not to kill people. 

The letters were discovered after the shooting in November 2017. The building owners found them in a vacant office in Mesquite, Texas. And were just made public for the first time through a public records request.

Nixon, an ex-convict from Texas, had known Paddock through prior business dealings. They had been corresponding since 2013.

 The letters dated May and June 2017, just months before the mass shooting, express Nixon's concerns about Paddock's behavior. And his fears that Paddock may harm others.

Las Vegas mass shooter motive

In one of the letters, Nixon wrote, "My friend it sounds like you are going to kill or murder someone or some people. Please don’t go on any shooting rampage like some fool." 

He also expressed his concerns about Paddock's mental health and pleaded with him not to harm innocent people. Nixon even offered to put Paddock in touch with someone who could help him.

Nixon never alerted law enforcement about his concerns. And never shared the content of their correspondence.

In an interview Nixon said that he had never been contacted by authorities regarding the shooting. And he expressed regret that he couldn't have done more to prevent it.

Nixon, a now 75-year-old disabled Vietnam War veteran, had served time in a Texas prison for tax fraud.

The documents revealed that Paddock was a heavy gambler who had lost over $1.5 million in Las Vegas. He was upset with how casinos were treating him. And felt victimized by the casinos. 

The FBI report on the shooting had claimed that Paddock had sold a property in Mesquite in 2012. And he used the proceeds of the sale to purchase the high-powered weapons he used in the shooting.

Paddock shot through a window of the Mandalay Bay Hotel on the Vegas Strip. He was positioned on the 32nd-floor where he had a clear view of a music concert below. And he proceeded with the deadly mass shooting. 

The violence was only ended when the shooter took his own life, as police closed in on him.