‘Dumbfounded’ Orlando Area Man Reacts To Brother’s Las Vegas Shooting Spree

ORLANDO, FL — The brother of a 64-year-old man accused of shooting at least 59 people and injuring 527 others in Las Vegas said he was "completely dumbfounded" when he learned of the massacre.

Stephen Paddock, who is accused of the worst mass shooting in U.S. history, has relatives in the Central Florida area.

"We’re shocked. When you get a phone call that says your brother just killed a bunch of people. We’re shocked, horrified, completely dumbfounded," said Eric Paddock, Stephen's brother.

RAW: Video Of First Moment Of Las Vegas Shooting

Stephen Paddock reportedly shot himself as Las Vegas police reached his hotel room after the shooting. The 2016 shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, where 49 were slain, previously held the somber distinction of worst mass shooting in the nation's history. (For more events and local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Orlando Patch, and click here to find your local Florida Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Eric Paddock, speaking outside his home in east Orlando, said his brother was never violent. He helped him move to Las Vegas from Viera in 2015. He said his brother decided to move because he likes playing video poker and wanted to escape Florida’s humidity. His brother has no children.

He recalled receiving a recent text from his brother showing "a picture that he won $40,000 on a slot machine. But that's the way he played."

Eric Paddock also said his brother had some guns but never a machine gun or an automatic weapon. "Where the hell did he get the machine guns?" he asked.

"He's never even drawn his gun before," Paddock said. "He's just a guy.”

He said the family had "no clue" why it happened, adding: "If there was anything I could have done, I would have done it."

Paddock said his brother has no police record and had never served in the military. He added that there were no political or religious reasons behind the shootings. "I would love to give some reason for this," he said. "This is like an asteroid fell out of the sky."

Two FBI special agents came to Eric Paddock’s house Monday morning, and he also received a call from the Las Vegas police, he said. He said he has made a statement to police.

Paddock's Brother: No Logic To Explain The Shooting

Paddock said his brother recently contacted him after Hurricane Irma. Stephen Paddock texted him to check on their mother, who also lives in the Central Florida area. His mother is "completely in shock," Eric Paddock told The Associated Press.

"We have absolutely no idea whatsoever,” he said of the shooting. “I can’t imagine. When you guys find out why this happened, let us know. I have no idea whatsoever.”

Nicole Paddock, Stephen Paddock's niece who lives in east Orlando, told News 6 that she learned about the shooting as she woke up. She said she was "shocked and disturbed" to learn that her uncle was named as the shooter.

Stephen Paddock once owned property in Heritage Isle, a gated retirement community in Viera, north of Melbourne. He bought the house in 2013 and then sold it in 2015 for $235,000, property records show.

Sharon Judy, a former neighbor of Stephen Paddock in Viera, said Paddock described himself as a professional gambler. He would split time between the Viera house and Vegas, she said.

Judy said she was shocked Monday morning when she discovered that Stephen Paddock had been identified as the Vegas shooter. "There wasn't anything about him that would make you think that," she said.

Judy's husband, Don, described Paddock as "a real nice guy" who typically dressed in a polo shirt and shorts and didn't stand out among other part-time residents.

"The second time I met him, he pulled out his keys and he gave me his house key," Don Judy said.

When Paddock was away, Don Judy said, he would bring in his mail and the newspaper and walk through the house to make sure the air conditioning was working and that there wasn't any flood damage after storms.

"He would call me every so often to ask if everything was OK with the house. Just so ordinary. ... There's nothing to profile this guy by."

Resources are available for those looking for information:

• For families and friends of loved ones seeking information, they can call this number provided by authorities: 1-866-535-5654
• The family reunification center is located at the Las Vegas Police Department headquarters at 400 S. MLK Boulevard, Building B

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Photos via AP Photo/John Raoux