DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF News) – Authorities are still sifting through the remnants of the home of the man responsible for a mass shooting in Las Vegas Sunday night where at least 58 people were killed and at least 500 injured.
The shooter, identified as 64-year-old Stephen Paddock, shot and killed himself as police stormed through the door of his room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino shortly after the massacre.
Dallas therapist Doctor Cedric Wood said as investigators search for a motive, they’ll probably discover that it’s rooted in revenge.
He said most mass shooters are filled with rage about a traumatic incident from their past.
“It’s a drive. It’s a need to strike out and to get retribution. Even though I am sure that no one in the crowd itself were the perpetrators but they represent in the shooter’s mind people that have hurt him,” he said.
Wood said it’s typical for people who knew Paddock to be shocked by his actions because there aren’t always clear-cut warning signs for this type of violence.
He said there is a range of behaviors when it comes to mass shooters; some talk about their frustrations openly and others keep their dangerous emotions bottled up.
“His brother had no idea that he would have this potential. The people in the small town he lived in, evidently, had no idea. He hadn’t been in trouble with the law. He was someone that kept it inside until it was too late,” said Wood.
Erick Paddock, Stephen Paddock’s brother, told reporters that there was no indication that his brother was capable of this type of violence.
“He doesn’t even have parking tickets. He has no criminal record. He has no record of any affiliations. He has nothing,” he said.
When asked if his brother had a mental illness, he emphatically denied that too.
“Absolutely, not as far as I know,” said Paddock.
Doctor Wood said authorities may never find out what the motive was for the massacre but the families of the victims will have to deal with either a loss or how to help their loved one work through this type of traumatic event.
“It’s hard to summarize what survivors go through but certainly they need to connect with and be around people who love them and support them and who will talk to them and listen to them,” he said.
Wood said it’s important for the families of the victims to be careful about pushing their loved one back into a normal routine too quickly.
“Just it with them while they cry and hold their hand. Try to feel their fear and their horror right along with them. There will be plenty of time later to distract yourself or to get on with life, that is all appropriate, but not for a day, or two or three days after a tragedy. The mourning of the tragedy has to be felt fully, even if its just for a few hours, that will help the person begin to heal from what they’ve experienced,” he said.
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