The brother of Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock has been arrested in California on suspicion that he is in possession of child pornography and sexual exploited a child.
Bruce Paddock, who was arrested in Los Angeles this morning and could face up to 19 sexual exploitation charges according to USA Today, is not the same brother who spoke to the authorities following the Las Vegas shooting that claimed the lives of 58 people attending the Route 91 Harvest festival. Bruce and Eric’s brother Stephen Paddock, who is not counted in the number above, also took his own life after opening fire on the festival, injuring hundreds.
The complaint alleges that between January and August of 2014, Bruce was in possession of over 600 images of minors, children under 18, “engaging in or simulating sexual activity” USA Today reports. The complaint also notes that 10 of those images were of children under the age of 12.
The case predates the Las Vegas shooting, according to a law enforcement official who talked to the Associated Press, and is based on evidence found at a business in the Sun Valley neighborhood of LA. Though Bruce was a transient at the time and could not be located, it appeared that he had been squatting at the business where the photos were uncovered. Bond was set at $60,000 though he could not be located.
It is unclear how the authorities came to found Bruce at an assisted living facility in North Hollywood, though that’s where he was arrested earlier this morning.
Bruce has a previous criminal record, NBC reports, that includes “convictions for vandalism, criminal threats, theft and driving with a suspended vehicle and other arrests for which he was not convicted” dating back to the 1980s.
Despite reports, Bruce is not the brother who spoke extensively to investigators following the Las Vegas shooting. His brother Eric, who lives in Orlando, was the one who expressed disbelief that their brother could have committed the horrendous attack, saying Stephen Paddock “took care of the people he loved. He helped make me and my family wealthy. He’s the reason I was able to retire.”
Eric also claimed his brother was “intelligent” and “successful,” and that he was not insane.
It’s unclear whether Bruce Paddock has a lawyer. The most recent news about the Las Vegas shooting reveals that Stephen Paddock removed the hard drive from his laptop before opening fire on the festival-goers. He has previously purchased software to erase information from a hard drive, but it’s unknown whether he used this software. The device is still missing as of publication time.
