Still no motive in Vegas massacre despite 1,000 leads: police

“We’re also aware, of course, that ISIS has repeatedly claimed responsibility, which today I can tell you that we have no known nexus to,” McMahill added (Photo by Tomás Del Coro/Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0)

WASHINGTON— US authorities have analyzed more than 1,000 leads into the Las Vegas mass shooting investigation but they still lack a motive for the crime, Las Vegas Police Department Undersheriff Kevin McMahill said during a press conference on Friday.

“To date, we have run down well more than a thousand leads in this investigation,” McMahill said. “While some of it has helped create a better profile into the madness of the suspect, we do not still have a clear motive or reason why.”

McMahill also said that US authorities have found no link between the mass shooting and the Daesh (also referred to as ISIS or ISIL) terror group that has claimed responsibility for the attack.

“We’re also aware, of course, that ISIS has repeatedly claimed responsibility, which today I can tell you that we have no known nexus to,” McMahill added.

Stephen Paddock, 64, opened fire on a country music festival from his room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino last Oct. 1, killing 59 people and injuring more than 500 others. He killed himself before police entered the hotel room.

Police say that the gunman had spent years stockpiling weapons before Sunday’s attack. He had also stored more ammunition and explosives in his car at the time of the attack.

Paddock had 23 weapons in the room, as well as cameras fixed on the corridor outside, which he used to see if security or police were approaching.