People are mysterious, even to themselves. Frank Latricia. The mystery of human existence lies not

in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for. Fiodor Dostoyevsky. Both of these quotes

make me think of Las Vegas mass shooters Steven Patek. Did he do what he did in part because he felt

like he had nothing else to live for? Outside of planning and committing this tragic act?

And, or I guess maybe, or did he even really understand why he was doing what he did on Sunday,

October 1st, 2017, when thousands of people, roughly 22,000 people, were attending the final

night of the Route 91 Harvest Country Music Festival on Las Vegas' famous strip. At 9.40 pm,

the festival's final performer Jason Aldin went on stage to close out the concert. He'd open up

singing, they don't know, followed by the only way I know. Johnny Cash, take a little ride,

a little more summertime, and any old bar stool. People were having fun. The weather was perfect

in that mid-70s sweet spot with no glaring sun beaten down on anyone. Slight breeze,

just the lights from the strip. The drinks were flowing, thousands were dancing, singing along,

lots of tight jeans and cowboy hats. They were enjoying the final minutes of a super fun

country music-filled weekend. And come Monday morning, I'm guessing most of them would be flying

back to their office jobs and normal day-to-day lives. Many were probably thinking that the worst

that could happen to them was getting a drink spilled on them or getting shoved by some over

eager concert goer, or maybe they drink a little too much and make some regrettable sexual decision,

then lean on that age old idiom of what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. At 10.5 pm, this reality

was abruptly shattered by Stephen Patek. Aldin was singing, when she says baby, the last song here,

anyone else would sing that night from the stage, the last song anyone would ever sing at the Harvest

Country Music Festival. From the 32nd floor, the nearby Mandalay Bay Hotel, a hail of semi-automatic

gunfire began to rain down on unsuspecting concert goers. At first, most presidents seemed to think it

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