LAS VEGAS: Investigators were trying Tuesday to determine the motive for a wealthy, retired accountant's heinous shooting rampage while the city and nation struggled Tuesday to heal from the largest mass shooting in modern US history.
President Trump, as he left Washington Tuesday for a trip to storm-ravaged Puerto Rico, briefly referenced the man whose carnage Sunday night left 59 people dead and more than 500 injured.
"He was a sick man, a demented man with a lot of problems, I guess, and we are looking into him very, very seriously," Trump said. "We are dealing with a very, very sick individual."
The president also said the administration would be "talking about gun laws as time goes by", and he lauded the efforts of Las Vegas law enforcement.
"How quickly the police department was able to get in (to Paddock's hotel room) was very much a miracle," he said. "They've done an amazing job."
Country music star Jason Aldean was performing when Paddock opened fire from the window of his 32nd-floor hotel room overlooking the Route 91 Harvest music fest. Aldean, who was not injured, tweeted a statement Tuesday saying he has been overwhelmed with emotion since the attack.
"Something has changed in this country and in this world lately that is scary to see," Aldean wrote. But he also added that it is "time to come together and stop the hate."
Assistant Sheriff Todd Fasulo pleaded for patience during the investigation, saying authorities were "hunting down" every clue to learn more about Paddock.
Several minutes after the carnage began, officers who blasted into the room found Paddock's body. His brother Eric, who lives in Florida, says his multimillionaire brother was a big spender at casinos and often received free meals and rooms there. Eric Paddock also said he believed his brother owned a couple guns.
Police found 23 guns, including semi-automatic rifles, in Paddock's room at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. They found 19 more at his home in Mesquite, Nevada, 120km northeast of here.
A federal law enforcement official, who was briefed on the matter but is not authorized to comment publicly, said police also found two tripods positioned at the hotel windows in what appeared to be a fully-equipped sniper's nest.
Some of weapons apparently were modified with technology known as a "bump-stock" for rapid, machine gun-type firing, two people familiar with the matter said. The modification is legal but has drawn scrutiny because it allows gun owners to avoid special permits and fingerprinting required for machine guns.
While the investigation intensified, authorities touted the city's resilience in the aftermath of the tragedy. Fully stocked blood banks turned away would-be donors by Monday evening. A GoFundMe page collected $3.3 million (109 million baht) from almost 50,000 donors in little more than 24 hours.
With hospitals jammed with victims, authorities set up a hotline to report missing people and speed the identification of the dead and wounded. They also opened a "family reunification centre" for people to find loved ones.
Pieces of normalcy slowly returned to the iconic Strip. Club promoters hawked 2-for-1 deals, tourists took selfies and police cracked down would-be criminals.
"Do you know how disrespectful it is to come out here and deal drugs the day after 50 people died one block away?" a bike cop snapped at a man in handcuffs Monday night. "Can't you take one day off?"
Derek Koerner, who identified himself as a licensed club promoter, said he was encouraged by the sizeable crowds - and particularly grateful for the SUV full of men interested in his 2-for-1 deals on strip clubs. A $40 (1,300 baht) cover for a two-drink minimum gets the buyer into the second strip club for free.
"There's more people out here than I thought there'd be," said Koerner, 48. "People seem to be upbeat and have a good energy. People seem to be moving on with their lives."
But less than a mile away, the mood was noticeably different. Dozens of people, some arriving with candles and flowers, returned to the scene of the horrific crime, marked by yellow police tape.
Herman Gold and his ex-wife, Sara, stood near the concert grounds and explained how they escaped the hail of bullets and why they came back.
"I just want closure," Herman Gold said. "Why? What's the reason that on that particular night, one individual would sacrifice everyone else for his insanity?"
Joe Larsen, standing at the same corner and wearing a VIP wristband from the Aldean concert, expressed gratitude.
Larsen, 49, who flew in from New Jersey for the concert, said that he watched the Twin Towers fall in 2001, lost his wife to cancer in 2015 and, on Sunday night, feared he was about to leave his son and daughter without a parent.
He said he saw a young woman die from a bullet to the head before he called his father during the bedlam.
"I told him, 'I don't know if going to make it. Tell my kids to live a good life' " Larsen recalled.
As he and others shared their stories and wiped away tears, police officers closely monitored pedestrians, especially the wayward ones.
"Sir, get out of the street," one officer barked. "It's the last time I'm telling you."