Las Vegas shooter’s brother arrested on suspicion of possessing child porn

A BROTHER of Las Vegas mass shooter Stephen Paddock has been arrested on suspicion of possessing child pornography.

A BROTHER of Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock has been arrested on suspicion of possessing child pornography.

Bruce Douglas Paddock, 59, was nabbed at an assisted living centre in North Hollywood, California on Wednesday morning local time.

A criminal complaint filed in Los Angeles County lists 20 potential counts and indicates the alleged crimes occurred in 2014, NBC News reports.

One of the counts is for possession of more than 600 images of children in porn, which includes 10 or more of a prepubescent minor, TMZ reports. Most of the counts involve sexual exploitation of a child.

Bruce Douglas Paddock, 59, has been arrested on suspicion of possession of child pornography. Picture: Los Angeles Police Department

Los Angeles police said the investigation was sparked when authorities discovered evidence inside a business in Sun Valley, where Bruce had previously squatted.

According to TMZ, the investigation began before Bruce’s brother Stephen shot dead 58 people and injured hundreds more at a country music concert in Las Vegas on October 1.

Police said that at the time of the initial investigation, they could not find Bruce, who was a transient. TMZ reports they located him on Wednesday following a tip-off.

Police released a photo of Bruce “in case there may be victims of unreported incidents”.

#LAPD: Detectives have arrested Bruce Paddock for possession of Child Porn. In case there are more victims, call Juvenile Div 562-624-4027. pic.twitter.com/Qf0NJ66Wxg

— LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) October 25, 2017

Court records show Bruce has previous convictions for vandalism, criminal threats and theft.

A lawyer who represented Bruce in past criminal matters told NBC News that he is no longer representing him and declined to comment.

Bruce is not considered a suspect in the Las Vegas massacre. He said he was questioned by FBI agents after the shooting, mostly about his brother Stephen’s childhood.

Another Paddock brother, Eric Paddock, spoke to the media following the bloodbath.

The Paddocks’ father was on the FBI’s most wanted list in the late 1960s after escaping from prison where he was serving time for bank robbery.

The shocking news comes after the Las Vegas resort from which Stephen unleashed the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history was ordered to preserve photos, surveillance video and gambling records of the shooter and notes by investigators.

A Clark County District Court spokeswoman said Judge Mark Denton approved a temporary order sought by lawyers for a California woman who was critically wounded in the shooting.

The order covers records kept by MGM Resorts International. Other defendants are the concert promoter, the Texas company that manufactures a device police say the gunman used to make semiautomatic weapons fire almost continuously, and Stephen’s estate.

MGM Resorts says it has no intention of renting the suite Stephen used and is co-operating in the investigation, including preserving evidence.