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Father Of Las Vegas Shooter Was On FBI's Most Wanted List

As the world struggles to understand why Stephen Paddock unleashed the deadliest mass shooting in US history on his Las Vegas victims, one fact is becoming clear: The 64-year-old loved to gamble, and for big stakes. Whether that has anything to do with the shooting, however, remains very much unclear. His father also lived a life of crime. He was convicted of robbing a bank and broke outof prison in 1968. 

Details:

  • Bank robber dad: Paddock's father was a bank robber who was once on the FBI's most-wanted list, reports the Orlando Sentinel. Benjamin Hoskins Paddock escaped from prison in Texas in 1968 when he was eight years into a 20-year sentence. He, too, was described as a frequent gambler. The elder Paddock wasn't re-captured until 1978, in Oregon. He died in 1998.
  • Recent transactions: Law enforcement sources tell NBC News that Paddock recently made several large gambling transactions. However, it wasn't clear whether they were wins or losses, and "large" isn't defined.
  • A regular: Brother Eric Paddock of Florida tells the Washington Post that Stephen was a retiree and seemingly well off, and he loved to spend time at casinos. "My brother is not like you and me. He plays high stakes video poker. He sends me a text that says he won $250,000 at the casino." Eric says he knows of no gambling debts and showed the FBI three years of texts from his brother, none of which mentioned money trouble.

Read the full story on Newser.com

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Photo: FBI