Forensic psychologist weighs in on suspected Las Vegas gunman

PHILADELPHIA (WTXF) - The gunman suspected of the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history was a 64-year-old Nevada resident and officials said his hotel room was stacked with weapons when he unleashed the terror.

A high stakes gambler who liked to keep to himself that was the profile of Stephen Paddock that emerged early on.

“He had a plan and he stuck to it. What does that say about him,” Forensic Psychologist Dr. Elliot Atkins told FOX 29 Monday night. “A person who had some kind of unresolved issue in his life that was gonna come through this kind of behavior. I doubt he had any issues with the people he was shooting at. They were all strangers to him.”

Dr. Atkins is a leading forensic psychologist who analyzes the criminal mind. His first take away from the 64-year-old Paddock’s historic massacre on the Las Vegas Strip?

“The level of determination is intense,” Dr. Atkins explained. “There’s so much that I would want to know. Hopefully someday we’ll have access to.”

Dr. Atkins says Paddock’s level of preparedness stands out. He checked into his hotel suite days before the attack. He may have used ten weapons in the murder spree after selecting a room high above the crowd to carry out the shooting.

“Obviously it was premeditated. He went into that building knowing he was gonna do something. He brought all those guns, all those rifles with him,” Atkins said.

“He had designs on killing those people probably for a long time. That’s the scary part,” Police Commissioner Richard Ross told FOX 29.

Commissioner Ross watched the first day analysis of Paddock closely. He and Dr. Atkins reacted to news that Paddock’s father was a bank robber who escaped federal prison and spent eight years on the FBI’s Most Wanted list in the 1970’s.

“The odds someone whose father or close relative, if they’re a sociopath, the odds of that person being a sociopath are higher,” Dr. Atkins added.

“It just makes you wonder, what’s next,” Commissioner Ross said.

Commissioner Ross sat in on the nationwide police chief’s briefing on the Las Vegas massacre late Monday. He says there’s no evidence so far linking the gunman to any groups despite reports to the contrary. At least one group claimed credit for the mass shooting. Relatives also said Paddock had no affiliations with any groups.