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Las Vegas shooter was multi-millionaire accountant who liked high-dollar gambling, brother says

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Eric Paddock broke down in tears to Channel 9's Nancy Alvarez when he realized his brother, Stephen Paddock, 64, was allegedly responsible for the mass shooting in Las Vegas.

Watch: Brother of Stephen Paddock speaks to Channel 9's Nancy Alvarez

At least 50 people were killed and more than 500 more were injured Sunday night when a gunman opened fire on more than 22,000 people gathered near the Mandalay Bay Casino for a country music festival.

Police said Stephen Paddock opened fire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel on people attending the Route 91 Harvest country music festival. Authorities found him dead in his hotel room, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

“There’s nothing I can say. My brother did this. It’s like he shot us. I couldn’t be more dumbfounded,” Eric Paddock told Eyewitness News.

Stephen Paddock used to live in a 55-plus community in Viera until 2015.

Eric Paddock said his brother was a professional gambler and a very wealthy man who liked to take cruises.

He made his money investing in properties, Eric Paddock said.

Stephen Paddock was a prolific gambler, his brother added.

"You'll find, when you find out, he gambled at a high level," Eric Paddock said. "He gambled, you know, lots of money."

Neighbors told Eyewitness News Stephen Paddock would sleep during the day and stay up all night to gamble online.

"I barely remembered the name Paddock on the contract and I said, 'You've got to be kidding me,'" said Nick Anderson, who bought Stephen Paddock's home.

Other neighbors said Stephen Paddock was a nice guy who kept to himself.

Another neighbor said she used to have a key to his home.

"He said, 'I'll be back and forth, but here's the key to my house. I want you to watch the house if you don't mind.' We said, 'Well, what do you want us to do? 'Oh, just check it every now and then,'" said neighbor Sharon Judy.

Read: Timeline of the Las Vegas mass shooting

Eric Paddock said he last heard from his brother after Hurricane Irma to make sure everyone was OK.

Eric Paddock said he found out about the mass shooting when Las Vegas police called him.

“I don’t understand. It doesn’t make sense,” Eric Paddock said. "Had we known that there was a problem with Steve, we would have tried to do something. There's just no indication."

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Retired hotelier and corporate pilot Don Judy welcomed Stephen Paddock, his new neighbor at their neighborhood.

And, he said, Paddock told him, ”‘Listen. I’ve bought all this new stuff. Shop-Vac, ladders, tools. If you need anything, feel free to come over.’ I thought, ‘Wow. The guy’s very trusting.’“

Judy said he never did any poking around in the home; “If I had, under the circumstances, I would admit to it.”

Read: GoFundMe started to help victims of Las Vegas massacre

Stephen Paddock did not have a criminal history and did not offer an indication to his family on why he may have opened fire on the crowd.

"The fact that he had those kind of weapons is ... just...where the hell did he get automatic weapons? He has no military background," said Eric Paddock.

Eric Paddock, brother of #LasVegas shooter, from his home in Orlando: • "Like an asteroid landed on our family." •...

Posted by Nancy Alvarez, WFTV on Monday, October 2, 2017

The brother of the #LasVegas shooter stepped out of his home in Orlando to speak to me and other reporters. Total shock. More here: http://at.wftv.com/2hIV5Gt WFTV Channel 9

Posted by Nancy Alvarez, WFTV on Monday, October 2, 2017