Former MO Homeland Security Director: Vegas shooter most likely showed signs of suspicious behavior

At least 58 people are dead and more than 500 people injured after a man fired hundreds of bullets down from a hotel in Las Vegas late Sunday night, authorities said.

In the hotel room of the shooter, Stephen Paddock, 64, of Mesquite, officials said they found at least 10 guns. They said they found more guns and ammunition in Paddock’s home.

Mesquite police said Paddock did not have any type of run-ins with law enforcement.

“We had no knowledge of this individual,” Las Vegas Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said . “I don’t know how it could have been prevented.”

But Paul Fennewald, former coordinator of Missouri Homeland Security, said Paddock most likely showed signs of extremism before he committed mass murder.

“In hindsight, when they do the investigation, we’ll see multiple instances of where people saw some behaviors or some, as I call, leakage, there that would suggest maybe he had some mental health issues and the potential to do something like this,” Fennewald said.

Fennewald said the shooter most likely went to a gun range or the Mandalay Bay Resort before the shooting, and also probably showed behavior signs such as getting more agitated than normal.

He also said that if Paddock did purchase a fully automated weapon, the purchase itself wouldn’t be suspicious, but the reason for buying it may be.

Fennewald said some signs people should pay attention to are behavioral changes in a person, even if they are small.Some behavior changes may not lead to law enforcement getting involved. But, Fennewald said when someone sees a person acting differently, then also buying items such as guns or going to a gun range when they don’t normally do so, that’s when law enforcement should be notified.

While the mass shooting hasn’t been declared a terroristic threat, signs of someone becoming extreme or radical and possible endangering people are similar.

The Missouri Center for Education Safety lists these signs of someone possibly endangering other people:

Surveillance Gathering specific information Tests of security Fundraising Acquiring supplies Impersonation Rehearsal Deployment

People can also visit See Something Send Something here to report suspicious activity.