Everyone is likely familiar with Stephen Paddock, the man who opened fire at a concert October 1, killing 58 people and wounding hundreds more. One of his brothers, Bruce Paddock, has been arrested on child pornography charges. Bruce had been under investigation since before his brother made history as the man behind the largest mass-murder in United States history.
Paddock, 59, was arrested Wednesday morning by officers from the Los Angeles Police Department. He was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center on suspicion of possession of child pornography, according to a Fox News report.
Bruce Paddock Facing Numerous Charges
The homeless Bruce Paddock had previously been evicted from an unnamed Sun Valley business where he had been squatting. Following his eviction, over 600 images of children, some of a child no more than 12 years old, were found at the location. The Los Angeles Times reports that Paddock may now be facing 20 criminal charges, some of which are felonies. Paddock disappeared after leaving the business and was recently tracked down to a nursing facility in North Hollywood.
Bruce Paddock was not the only brother of Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock. Following the shooting, it was Eric, the youngest of four, who spoke to the media. At that time, Bruce’s whereabouts were unknown. A police spokesperson has said that no connection exists between the shooting and Bruce’s charges.
Authorities are hoping that additional victims may come forward and, to that end, released a photograph of Paddock.
A Family History of Crime
The father of the four Paddock brothers, Benjamin Hoskins Paddock, was once on the FBI’s Most Wanted list. He had a long criminal record and has been described as a “serial bank robber.” He served several prison terms and was placed on the FBI list after escaping from a federal penitentiary in Texas in 1968. Stephen Paddock, the eldest brother, was seven years old when the FBI arrested his father at their Tuscon, Arizona home in 1960. Benjamin Paddock, who was diagnosed as psychopathic, died in 1998.
The man who shot hundreds of people at a country music concert in Las Vegas had no criminal record but his brother, Bruce, appears to have been more like their father. Bruce has a string of criminal charges in his past, according to the Los Angeles Times. Those charges span a 25-year period and include arson, vandalism, burglary and making threats. According to the paper, he was charged, in 1993, with “annoying a child under 18” but was acquitted.
No further details of Paddock’s arrest have been released, as yet.
