Letters to Las Vegas Shooter Emerge

Letters From Ex-Con to Las Vegas Shooter Emerge More Than Five Years After the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival Massacre

More than five years after the devastating shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas, letters from an ex-con to the shooter Stephen Paddock emerged. 

According to Fox News, the letters from Jim Nixon were discovered by new owners of a vacant office space in Mesquite, Texas. The space was sold by Paddock in 2012. Nixon is described as Paddock’s friend and Vietnam War veteran. He had served time in prison for tax fraud. In the letters, Nixon pleaded with Paddock not to hurt or kill others who did nothing to him.

Nixon wrote in a letter dated May 27, 2017, “I can get someone for you who can help you. Please don’t go out shooting or hunting people who did nothing to you. I am concerned [sic] about the way you are talking and believe you are going to do something very bad. Steve please please don’t do what I think you are going to do.”

In another letter to the Las Vegas shooter, Nixon stated, “My friend it sound [sic] like you are going to kill or murder someone or some people. Please whatever it is I would like to talk to you about it, and we can discuss it. Please don’t go on any shooting rampage like some fool.” 

During the final night of the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival (October 1, 2017), Paddock opened fire from his Mandalay Bay hotel room, killing 58 people and injuring at least 500 more. Just as Las Vegas authorities closed in on him, the shooter killed himself. He left no clues as to why he went on the shooting rampage.

Letters to Las Vegas Shooter Indicate That He Had Been Planning For the Massacre For Years 

In another letter dated August 2014, Nixon indicated that the Las Vegas shooter had been planning a shooting of some sort for years before the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival massacre. “You said in (3) years you would be ready,” Nixon wrote to Paddock in the 2014 letter. “And that your plan would show up in Nevada, California, Illinois, Texas, New York, and other cities. What do you mean?”

Nixon also wrote in March 2017 letter he thought Paddock was planning a hunting trip. At that point, Paddock had been stockpiling for the massacre.

The FBI investigation revealed Paddock used the money from the Texas sale to purchase the guns and ammunition. All were used to carry out the massacre. Authorities did not receive the letters until nearly two months after the Las Vegas shooting took place. 

The letters were also referenced by the FBI in the hundreds of documents about the shooting. All documents were released last week. However, the contents were not included. The new office owners discovered the letters and sent them to the FBI. “We moved into an office and found … a folder full of what appears to be copies of letters,” the owners stated. “We wish you well with your investigation.”

Nixon also told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that authorities never contacted him after the shooting. “He did what he did, and I feel bad I couldn’t stop him,” he then explained. “I didn’t know he was going to do what he did.”