Who is Stephen Paddock? What we know about granddad who opened fire on packed Las Vegas music festival killing at least 50

A gunman killed at least 50 people and injured more than 400 others last night after opening fire on a packed outdoor music festival on the Las Vegas Strip.

The man, wielding a high-powered assault rifle, rapidly sprayed bullets at revellers at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival from a nearby hotel.

Perched on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino, he fired the gun for several minutes, before cops stormed his room and shot him dead.

The suspect has since been identified as Stephen Paddock, a local man who police believe acted alone in the deadliest mass shooting in US history.

fficers had earlier launched a search for a female "associate" called Marilou Danley - reportedly Paddock's roommate - in relation to the shooting.

They later located Ms Danley and said she was no longer a "person of interest".

Below, we look at everything we know so far about the suspected gunman....
Who is the suspect?

Stephen Paddock, 64, has been identified by police as the suspected shooter.

He was described by officials as a "local man" who apparently acted alone.

He is thought to have been a granddad.

According to some unverified reports, he was married to Ms Danley.

Where did he live?
Paddock, born 4/9/1953, lived in a three-year-old, 396,000 dollar (£297,554) two-bedroom home in Nevada, US records show.

The property is located in the remote desert community of Mesquite, 80 miles north east of Las Vegas near the Arizona state border.

Local media said he had also previously lived in Reno, California and Florida, although the exact locations in each state are unclear.

He lived in the property in Babbling Brook Court with Ms Danley, records show.

Was he linked to any militant groups?
Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said at a media briefing that Paddock was not believed to have been connected to any militant groups.

"We have no idea what his belief system was," he said.

Police have said they have no information yet about the suspect's motive.

What did he do?
Paddock allegedly opened fire on festival-goers from the hotel's 32nd floor, leaving more than 50 dead and over 400 others wounded.

Local media and witnesses have claimed he was perched on a balcony, and using a high-powered assault rifle to rain down bullets on victims.

The incident, which occurred at the end of a set by country music star Jason Aldean at around 10pm local time, sparking panic among thousands of people.
As revellers screamed and fled for their lives, officials received reports of an "active" gunman and patrol vehicles descended on the popular Strip.

Some officers were seen taking cover behind their vehicles, while others carrying assault rifles ran into the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino.

Pictures of the scene showed victims lying on the ground, covered in blood. The identities of those killed and wounded are currently unknown.

What happened to him?
Swat teams quickly descended on the concert and the hotel after the shooting.

Officers used explosives to get into Paddock's hotel room before confronting him. The suspect died at the scene, with police later stating he killed himself before they reached him.

Numerous "rifles" were located within his room, officials said.

In a media briefing held shortly after midnight, police reported that the suspect was "down", but warned people to stay away from the area.
LVMPD wrote on Twitter: ""Confirming that one suspect is down. This is an active investigation. Again, please do not head down to the Strip at this time."

The force later said it was believed there were no other shooters in the incident.

In a briefing at around 1.30am, Sheriff Lombardo added that the gunman had been apprehended by police at the Mandalay Bay Hotel.

He said the suspect had died on the 32nd floor and that he was described by police as a local man who had acted alone in the shooting.

Who is Marilou Danley?
Sheriff Lombardo also said that authorities were seeking Ms Danley, who police described as a companion of the suspect, in the wake of the incident.

Ms Danley, Paddock's "companion" who is said to have travelled with the suspect before the shooting, was previously sought by police.

Described as four feet 11 inches tall, the 62-year-old was named as a person of interest and a picture of her was publicly released.

Officers were also looking for two vehicles associated with Paddock - a Hyundai Tucson Nevada/114B40 and a Chrysler Pacifica Nevada/79D401.

But police later Tweeted: "We have located the vehicles in question, and we are confident we have located the female person of interest."

Hours later police said Ms Danley had been located and was now not believed to be involved in the incident.

Gunfire, panic and death...
More than 50 people were killed in last night's horror attack, police say.

At least 200 others were injured.

The figures, which police emphasized were preliminary and tentative, would make the incident the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.

It would eclipse last year's massacre of 49 people at an Orlando night club.

Off-duty police are believed to be among the victims of the latest attack.

A Las Vegas hospital spokeswoman had previously confirmed at least two people had died and 24 others were wounded in the incident.
The spokeswoman, of the University Medical Center hospital, said 14 of the injured were in a critical condition and that all had suffered gunshot wounds.

The shooting took place at the end of Aldean's set. The star has since called for prayers for victims of the attack on Instagram.

He wrote: "Tonight has been beyond horrific. I still don't know what to say but wanted to let everyone know that me and my crew are safe.

"My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved tonight.

"It hurts my heart that this would happen to anyone who was just coming out to enjoy what should have been a fun night."

Video clips posted online showed what sounded like automatic weapons as panicked concertgoers fled and dropped to the ground, screaming.
One Twitter user posted that the casino hotel was on lockdown, while another, citing police scanners, said two gunmen were on the 32nd floor.

The user claimed the pair had shot at a bodyguard and police, but officers later said they believed there were no other shooters in the incident.

Brit Andy Williamson was among those caught up in the chaos after the attack.

He was being interviewed on Good Morning Britain from the Bellagio Hotel when he was forced to cut off the interview amid screaming and sobs.

Speaking to Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid, Andy revealed that he and many others had been running along the Strip when they were told to go into the hotel's ballrooms to hide.

At the beginning of the interview, he had said that they were being given the all-clear and spoke about his ordeal.

But noise was suddenly heard around him and he swore: "Oh s***, hold on. Hold on, sorry - I'm going to have to go. Everyone's running, like mad."

Another man, Jon Bessette, who was at the music festival, described how it was "pandemonium" as people fled for safety amid gunfire.

Speaking to NBC, he said: "The band ran off stage and it was pandemonium. Everyone was running, people were getting trampled."

Poker player Dan Bilzerian was also caught up in the shooting. The 38-year-old shared a video to Snapchat as he ran from the sound of gunshots.

As he sprinted from the chaos to try to find a safe place, he declared: "Holy f***, this girl just got shot in the f****** head."
Las Vegas's casinos, nightclubs and shopping hotspots are a major draw for some 3.5 million visitors from around the world each year.

The area was packed with visitors when the shooting broke out.

The Mandalay Bay hotel is near McCarran International Airport, which said on Twitter it had temporarily halted flights after the shooting.

Later, the airport said that some flights had resumed.

The music festival took place over the weekend.

The concert venue was in an outdoor area known as Las Vegas Village, across the Strip from the Mandalay Bay and the Luxor hotels.

Other artists scheduled to play the main stage include Eric Church, Sam Hunt, Jake Owen, Maren Morris, the Brothers Osborne, Lee Brice, and more.

LVMPD warned people not to livestream or share tactical positions of officers on scene which may put them in danger following the shooting.

The mayor of Las Vegas, Carolyn Goodman, tweeted her thanks to emergency crews who raced to the area, writing: "Pray for Las Vegas.

"Thank you to all our first responders out there now."

The Mandalay Bay, meanwhile, posted: "Our thoughts & prayers are with the victims of last night's tragic events.

"We're grateful for the immediate actions of our first responders."