Un homme abat 59 personnes, le FBI écarte la piste jihadiste

Les Américains cherchent encore à comprendre pourquoi un mystérieux retraité, équipé de multiples fusils d'assaut, a mitraillé les milliers de spectateurs d'un concert en plein air à Las Vegas dimanche soir, les autorités ayant rejeté une revendication du groupe État islamique.

À lire également: Des images qui témoignent de l'horreur

Le bilan s'est encore alourdi en fin de journée lundi, passant à 59 morts et 527 blessés, établissant un sinistre record. Outre ceux touchés par balles ou par éclats de balles, beaucoup se sont blessés dans leur fuite.

Perché dans un étage élevé d'un hôtel surplombant le concert, le tireur était un Américain blanc de 64 ans, Stephen Craig Paddock, riche comptable à la retraite habitué des casinos. Il s'est suicidé avant que les policiers ne l'atteignent.

Il s'était minutieusement préparé. Les policiers ont retrouvé 16 armes de calibres différents dans sa chambre, la plupart des fusils d'assaut, vraisemblablement transportées dans plus de 10 valises, selon le shérif de la ville, Joseph Lombardo. Certains fusils étaient équipés de lunettes. Son véhicule contenait du nitrate d'ammonium, un engrais qui peut servir à fabriquer des explosifs. À son domicile, un véritable arsenal comprenant des explosifs a ensuite été découvert.

Le FBI a rejeté la piste d'un attentat jihadiste, face à une revendication de l'organisation Etat islamique qui a qualifié le tireur de «soldat», converti il y a quelques mois à l'islam et nommé dans leur communiqué «Abou Abdelberr l'Américain».

«Nous n'avons établi aucun lien à ce stade avec un groupe terroriste international», a déclaré l'agent spécial de la police fédérale Aaron Rouse.

Le bilan dépasse celui de la boîte gaie d'Orlando en juin 2016, quand 49 personnes avaient péri sous les balles d'un homme ayant déclaré son allégeance à l'EI.

Le président Donald Trump, lors d'une déclaration au ton grave à la Maison-Blanche lundi matin, n'a évoqué ni la question des armes à feu ni celle du terrorisme.

«Notre unité ne peut pas être brisée par le mal, nos liens ne peuvent pas être défaits par la violence et, bien que nous ressentions de la colère face à l'assassinat insensé de nos compatriotes, c'est l'amour qui nous définit aujourd'hui», a-t-il déclaré sobrement.

Une minute de silence a été observée à la Maison-Blanche, où les drapeaux ont été mis en berne, comme au Congrès.

Le dirigeant se rendra mercredi à Las Vegas.

La reine Elizabeth II a envoyé ses condoléances. «Nos pensées et prières vont aux victimes et leurs familles, et à ceux qui ont été blessés», a-t-elle écrit.

Et en France, la tour Eiffel a été éteinte lundi soir en hommage aux victimes des attaques de Las Vegas et Marseille (2 morts dimanche).

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  LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 01: A body appears to lie under a sheet as police and rescue personnel gather at the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Ave on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. A gunman has opened fire on a music festival in Las Vegas, leaving at least 2 people dead. Police have confirmed that one suspect has been shot. The investigation is ongoing. Ethan Miller/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
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  LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 01: People take cover at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after apparent gun fire was heard on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. There are reports of an active shooter around the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. David Becker/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
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  LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 01: People tend to the wounded outside the festival ground after an apparent shooting on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. There are reports of an active shooter around the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. David Becker/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
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  LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 01: People run from the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after apparent gun fire was heard on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. There are reports of an active shooter around the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. David Becker/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
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  LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 01: People run from the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after apparent gun fire was heard on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. There are reports of an active shooter around the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. David Becker/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
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  LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 01 People run from the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after apparent gun fire was heard on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. There are reports of an active shooter around the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. David Becker/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
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  LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 01: People run from the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after apparent gun fire was hear on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. A gunman has opened fire on a music festival in Las Vegas, leaving at least 20 people dead and more than 100 injured. Police have confirmed that one suspect has been shot. The investigation is ongoing. David Becker/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
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  LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 01: A body lies under a sheet as fire and rescue personnel gather at the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Ave. after a mass shooting at a country music festival nearby on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. A gunman has opened fire on a music festival in Las Vegas, leaving at least 20 people dead and more than 100 injured. Police have confirmed that one suspect has been shot. The investigation is ongoing. Ethan Miller/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
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  LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 01: People run for cover at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after apparent gun fire was heard on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. There are reports of an active shooter around the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. David Becker/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
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  LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 01: (EDITORS NOTE: Image contains graphic content.) A person lies on the ground covered with blood at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after apparent gun fire was heard on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. There are reports of an active shooter around the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. David Becker/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
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  LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 01 People run from the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after apparent gun fire was heard on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. There are reports of an active shooter around the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. David Becker/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
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  LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 01 People run from the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after apparent gun fire was heard on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. There are reports of an active shooter around the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. David Becker/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
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  LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 02: Police and rescue personnel gather at the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Ave. after a mass shooting at a country music festival nearby on October 2, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. A gunman has opened fire on a music festival in Las Vegas, leaving at least 50 people dead and more than 200 injured. Police have confirmed that one suspect, Stephen Paddock, has been shot and killed. The investigation is ongoing. Ethan Miller/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
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  LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 01: People scramble for shelter at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after apparent gun fire was heard on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. A gunman has opened fire on a music festival in Las Vegas, leaving at least 20 people dead and more than 100 injured. Police have confirmed that one suspect has been shot. The investigation is ongoing. David Becker/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
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  LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 01: Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers stand near an ambulance as medical personnel treat a person in the parking lot of the Hooters Casino Hotel after a mass shooting at a country music festival nearby on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. A gunman has opened fire on a music festival in Las Vegas, leaving at least 20 people dead and more than 100 injured. Police have confirmed that one suspect has been shot. The investigation is ongoing. Ethan Miller/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
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  LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 02: A Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officer stands in the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Ave. after a mass shooting at a country music festival nearby on October 2, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. A gunman has opened fire on a music festival in Las Vegas, leaving at least 20 people dead and more than 100 injured. Police have confirmed that one suspect has been shot. The investigation is ongoing. Ethan Miller/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
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  LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 02: Las Vegas police patrol along the streets outside the the Route 91 Harvest country music festival grounds after a active shooter was reported on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. A gunman has opened fire on a music festival in Las Vegas, leaving at least 2 people dead. Police have confirmed that one suspect has been shot. The investigation is ongoing. David Becker/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
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  LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 01: Las Vegas police stand guard along the streets outside the festival grounds of the Route 91 Harvest on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. There are reports of an active shooter around the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. David Becker/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
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  LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 02: A Las Vegas Metropolitan Police officer stands at the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Ave. after a mass shooting at a country music festival on October 2, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. A gunman has opened fire on a music festival in Las Vegas, leaving at least 2 people dead. Police have confirmed that one suspect has been shot. The investigation is ongoing. Ethan Miller/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
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  LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 01: A Las Vegas police officer informs people to stay in place after shots were fired near Route 91 Harvest Country Music Festival on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. There are reports of an active shooter around the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. David Becker/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
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  LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 01: A man lays on top of a woman as others flee the Route 91 Harvest country music festival grounds after a active shooter was reported on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. A gunman has opened fire on a music festival in Las Vegas, leaving at least 2 people dead. Police have confirmed that one suspect has been shot. The investigation is ongoing. David Becker/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
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  TOPSHOT - LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 01: People scramble for shelter at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after apparent gun fire was heard on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. A gunman has opened fire on a music festival in Las Vegas, leaving at least 20 people dead and more than 100 injured. Police have confirmed that one suspect has been shot. The investigation is ongoing. David Becker/Getty Images/AFP / AFP PHOTO / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / David Becker
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  LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 01: A cowboy hat lays in the street after shots were fired near a country music festival on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. There are reports of an active shooter around the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. David Becker/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
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  LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 01: A man stands outside the the Route 91 Harvest country music festival grounds after an active shooter was reported on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. A gunman has opened fire on a music festival in Las Vegas, leaving at least 2 people dead. Police have confirmed that one suspect has been shot. The investigation is ongoing. David Becker/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
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  LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 01: A crowd of people at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after apparent gun fire was heard on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. There are reports of an active shooter around the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. David Becker/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
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  LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 01 People run from the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after apparent gun fire was heard on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. There are reports of an active shooter around the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. David Becker/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
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  LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 01: People tend to the wounded outside the festival ground after an apparent shooting on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. There are reports of an active shooter around the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. David Becker/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
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  LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 01: (EDITORS NOTE: Image contains graphic content.) People carry a peson at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after apparent gun fire was heard on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. There are reports of an active shooter around the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. David Becker/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
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  LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 01: (EDITORS NOTE: Image contains graphic content.) People carry a person at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after apparent gun fire was heard on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. There are reports of an active shooter around the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. David Becker/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
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  LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 01: (EDITORS NOTE: Image contains graphic content.) A person lies on the ground at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after apparent gun fire was heard on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. There are reports of an active shooter around the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. David Becker/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
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  LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 01: (EDITORS NOTE: Image contains graphic content.) A person lies on the ground at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after apparent gun fire was heard on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. There are reports of an active shooter around the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. David Becker/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
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  LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 02: An injured person is tended to in the intersection of Tropicana Ave. and Las Vegas Boulevard after a mass shooting at a country music festival nearby on October 2, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. A gunman has opened fire on a music festival in Las Vegas, killing over 20 people. Police have confirmed that one suspect has been shot dead. The investigation is ongoing. Ethan Miller/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
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  LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 01: Las Vegas police stand guard along the streets outside the the Route 91 Harvest country music festival grounds after a active shooter was reported on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. There are reports of an active shooter around the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. David Becker/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
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  EDITORS NOTE: Graphic content / Police form a perimeter around the road leading to the Mandalay Hotel (background) after a gunman killed at least 50 people and wounded more than 200 others when he opened fire on a country music concert in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 2, 2017. Police said the gunman, a 64-year-old local resident named as Stephen Paddock, had been killed after a SWAT team responded to reports of multiple gunfire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay, a hotel-casino next to the concert venue. / AFP PHOTO / Mark RALSTON
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  LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 01: A man in a wheelchair is taken away from the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after apparent gun fire was heard on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. There are reports of an active shooter around the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. David Becker/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
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  LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 01: A person takes cover at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after apparent gun fire was heard on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. There are reports of an active shooter around the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. David Becker/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
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  LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 01: A person takes cover at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after apparent gun fire was heard on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. There are reports of an active shooter around the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. David Becker/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==

Stephen Paddock s'était installé avec son arsenal au 32e étage de l'hôtel Mandalay Bay, massif établissement qui offrait une vue dégagée sur le festival de musique country «Route 91 Harvest», de l'autre côté du fameux Las Vegas Boulevard.

Plus de 22 000 spectateurs écoutaient le chanteur Jason Aldean, quand vers 22h08 heure locale, les premiers tirs ont retenti. Après un moment d'incrédulité, la panique saisit la foule.

De longues rafales sont audibles dans les innombrables vidéos diffusées sur les réseaux sociaux. Des gens tentent une échappée pour se mettre à couvert. D'autres se couchent à plat ventre ou protègent leurs proches de leurs corps.

«Nous ne savions pas d'où venaient les tirs, donc on courait sans savoir où aller», a raconté à l'AFP Ralph Rodriguez, un consultant informatique venu de Los Angeles pour le festival. «On a vu des corps à terre», a-t-il poursuivi.

Joanice Green logeait elle à l'hôtel Louxor, surplombant le concert. Elle aussi a entendu les rafales, pensant dans un premier temps qu'il s'agissait de feux d'artifice. «Le silence est tombé. Et puis il y a eu une nouvelle rafale (...) et je me suis dit "oh non, ce sont des tirs"», a-t-elle expliqué à l'AFP, essuyant ses larmes.

Les enquêteurs ne privilégiaient aucune piste en fin de journée lundi. Ils n'ont retrouvé aucun texte ou manifeste, a expliqué le shérif, qui a qualifié l'homme de «loup solitaire».

Son frère, Eric Paddock, a affirmé qu'il était «riche», n'avait «pas d'affiliation religieuse ou politique» et «n'était pas du tout un fan des armes».

Une affirmation à l'évidence contredite par l'arsenal découvert au domicile du suspect, à Mesquite, à environ 120 km de Las Vegas: 18 armes à feu, des explosifs, et des milliers de balles. La police s'apprêtait à fouiller une autre propriété du tueur, dans le nord du Nevada.

Stephen Paddock n'avait jamais eu affaire avec la police, ce qui n'était pas le cas de son père, Patrick Benjamin Paddock, un braqueur de banques parmi les fugitifs les plus recherchés par le FBI dans les années 1960.

Le tueur était arrivé dans sa suite, composée de deux pièces, le 28 septembre, sans que le personnel de l'hôtel n'ait remarqué ses armes. Il a brisé les vitres pour pouvoir mieux tirer, laissant deux trous sombres dans la façade dorée de l'édifice.

Selon la police, l'homme s'est suicidé avant que les unités d'intervention de la police ne fassent exploser la porte de sa chambre, avant minuit.

La compagne du tireur, une femme d'origine asiatique du nom de Marilou Danley, se trouvait lundi à Tokyo, selon le shérif. Les forces de l'ordre cherchaient à l'interroger.

Les démocrates ont exigé que le Congrès agisse, enfin, pour restreindre l'accès aux armes à feu. Mais la Maison-Blanche a répondu que ce débat sur les armes était «prématuré», à ce stade préliminaire des investigations.