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[misko27]

Some people are truly lone wolves when it comes to this stuff. But I'm guessing enough forensic work could be done to see who he's been talking to or what he's been interested in of late. The woman he's been living wife or his ex-wife might be able to shed some light on his private life. But yeah, if literally all he's been doing is looking up technical knowledge on how to accomplish his goals and there's no social or politically motivated evidence to inform his actions.....maybe we are dealing with the rare 1% functional psychotic.

Did no one see the section of the NY Times article I posted? This guy's father, Benjamin Paddock, was sent to prison in 1961 for 20 years for bank robbery. Seven years later, he fucking escaped, evading police for 10 years and ending up on FBI's Ten Most Wanted until he gets caught in Oregon running a Bingo Parlor. Press releases at the time said he "employed violence in attempting to evade arrest, and has been diagnosed as being psychopathic, with possible suicidal tendencies." He had also been convicted back in 1946 on "10 counts of auto theft and five counts of running a confidence game." (And for what it's worth, Eric Paddock, the brother of our shooter, said they did not know their father).

I'll put it like this: I wouldn't say I'm absolutely sure of it, but I'd easily put actual money down on us dealing with the one-in-a-million scenario here.

[smjjames]

What's a confidence game? Is that Russian roulette or something? Or is that just a long winded way of saying 'running a scam'?

Anyways, yeah, I've read about his father being a notorious bank robber in the 60's. Just because the father was a psychopath doesn't automatically mean that the son is, and the shooter doesn't even have a record, not even parking tickets. There was a citation for something (no explaination what), but that got resolved normally.

Misko, that's almost like saying just because your father was a narcissic asshole, it automatically makes you a narcissic asshole as well. I'm just pointing out the flaw in the logic here.

[misko27]

What's a confidence game? Is that Russian roulette or something? Or is that just a long winded way of saying 'running a scam'?

Scam, I think. "Con artist" is short for "Confidence Artist."

Anyways, yeah, I've read about his father being a notorious bank robber in the 60's. Just because the father was a psychopath doesn't automatically mean that the son is, and the shooter doesn't even have a record, not even parking tickets. There was a citation for something (no explaination what), but that got resolved normally.

Misko, that's almost like saying just because your father was a narcissic asshole, it automatically makes you a narcissic asshole as well. I'm just pointing out the flaw in the logic here.

It doesn't automatically make me one, but it sure makes it a hell of a lot likelier, and that's a fact.

Besides, what else are we working with here? A man lives a quiet life for 50-some years and then silently prepares for and executes a plan to kill 59 people and wound 500+ more? More effectively than almost every other terrorist and every mass-shooter in recent history? Despite apparently holding no strong political or ideological views?

[Egan_BW]

If anything is alien mind control, it's this.
...Except this accomplishes seemingly no goals for an alien invader. Hmm. Evil spirits, maybe?

[misko27]

I strongly considered saying 'well at that point we might as well say 'the Devil made him do it' and call it a day", but decided against it.

[WealthyRadish]

Influence of satan, bad feng shui, an irritable colon, who knows why people do the things they do, but I can't help but suspect that gluten played a role.

[Egan_BW]

I strongly considered saying 'well at that point we might as well say 'the Devil made him do it' and call it a day", but decided against it.

I mean the devil is tricksy like that.

[Frumple]

Besides, what else are we working with here? A man lives a quiet life for 50-some years and then silently prepares for and executes a plan to kill 59 people and wound 500+ more? More effectively than almost every other terrorist and every mass-shooter in recent history? Despite apparently holding no strong political or ideological views?

Guy snaps for some reason or another and goes on a killing spree, sure? Not like you need strong political or ideological views to pick up how to effectively kill people, or that there was really anything special about his methods other than being stable and sane enough/in the right ways to go through with it and rich enough to fund it, contrary to many people who are motivated in such ways. Don't need a history of mental illness (or actual long term neurological dysfunction of some sort at all) for something to fuck up hard enough to send you temporarily-ish insane long enough to do it, either.

Also more than one sort of brain damage that can cause radical behavioral shifts, for that matter, which get all the more common as a person gets older. Till we have an actual explanation all guessing really gets us is guessing. At least at the mo' it looks like it's entirely possible this is really is "just" a rich guy unfortunately capable in the right ways that snapped in the right ways at the right time, without some kind of background more contributory than providing the physical means to make things happen. Also possible it's who the hell knows what else. Still hasn't been 24 hours, I think. Certainly been less than 36. To dig into the life of a person that, as you note, lived a long and apparently fairly quiet one up 'till the end of it.

[redwallzyl]

https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/10/2/16392670/puerto-rico-death-toll-trump

death toll rising but no one seems to notice.

[RedKing]

Grabbing a single gun and shooting randomly is snapping.

Quietly amassing a fucking 80's action movie arsenal and sneaking it into a hotel room over the course of two days is not "snapping".

Burning through multiple clips of ammo, taking the time to reload, and then resuming fire is not "snapping".

Making ammonium nitrate explosives is not "snapping".

[martinuzz]

Could just as well be dementia induced paranoia, which can be as bad as paranoid schizophrenia.

[Frumple]

Grabbing a single gun and shooting randomly is snapping.

Quietly amassing a fucking 80's action movie arsenal and sneaking it into a hotel room over the course of two days is not "snapping".

Burning through multiple clips of ammo, taking the time to reload, and then resuming fire is not "snapping".

Making ammonium nitrate explosives is not "snapping".

Not your traditional sort of it, no. Shit fucking up over a short time period leading to fucked up actions is a thing that happens, though. You could use breaking, going bugfuck, whatever the hell you need to if the fucking word bothers you that much. Point was it's not really necessary for there to be some kind of long history preceding shit like this. Damn unlikely, but sometimes shit really does just go straight to hell without particularly long term signs of it.

E: Though that was definitely more aggressive than it really warranted. Word choice could definitely have been better, is just this thing where my ability to be on point when it comes to that seems to be physically degrading at a rate that's noticeable. Frustration with that more than anything got the better of me for a second or two

[smjjames]

Do note that this is all speculation until we learn more about his history, more information will definetly come out as the investigation takes it's course.

[Sheb]

Apparently Daesh claimed responsability, although, well, they'd probably take responsability for my clogged toilet, and I'm fairly certain that one is just my roomate drinking too much last night.

[Trekkin]

Apparently Daesh claimed responsability, although, well, they'd probably take responsability for my clogged toilet, and I'm fairly certain that one is just my roomate drinking too much last night.

Quite so. They're just looking for attention. At the rate they're losing ground, revenue, and influence, they are about a decade out from twerking in atrocious hairdos in a desperate attempt to get someone to look at them.