Stephen Paddock was a monster, but he sure as hell was a fan of preparation.

As more details begin to emerge, it’s clear that this was an incredibly well-thought out and executed shooting. Perhaps that’s because he had a trial run a week before his murder spree, having booked a room with a view the previous weekend.

He actually rented multiple condos overlooking the annual Life Is Beautiful Festival, headlined this year by Lorde and Chance the Rapper, according to “a senior law enforcement source”.

More from the Daily Beast:

“We’re not in a position to confirm or deny anything about Mr. Paddock’s dealings. I suggest you contact Metro [police]. As you know this is an on going investigation,” said Melissa Warren, public affairs officer for Fais Foley Warren, owner of the Ogden.

The source suggested that Paddock may have lost his nerve or simply changed his plans and checked into the Mandalay Bay Hotel on September 28.

Maybe the sick bastard was doing a dry run?

His preparation didn’t stop there, because Paddock also set up a number of cameras in and around his hotel suite.

Two were found in the hallway and one in the ‘peephole’, in order to check if law enforcement was on his tail. BBC below:

Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo told reporters: “This individual was pre-meditated. Obviously pre-meditated, the fact that he had the type of weaponry and the amount of weaponry in that room.

“It was pre-planned extensively and I’m pretty sure he evaluated everything he did in his actions.”

Some photos from inside his hotel room:

A description of that scene via the Telegraph:

Photographs showed the door battered in with seven bullet holes near the base where he had fired out hitting an officer in the leg.

Through a gap in the door a tripod-mounted weapon could be seen on the bathroom floor next to a discarded towel, with a mobile phone on the bathroom counter.

A photograph from the scene showed Paddock lying in a pool of blood from a head wound among dozens of spent cartridge casings. A revolver lay near the body.

This is pretty chilling – bodycam footage from a police officer whilst the shooting is going on:

And still no motive.

Hey, before you go calling him a “lone wolf” I recommend you go ahead and read THIS.

[sources:dailybeast&bbc&telegraph]