Trump's Recent Remarks on Vegas Shooter Are So Wrong
This weekend, an autopsy of Las Vegas mass shooter Stephen Paddock revealed that he had no brain abnormalities. Apparently, President Donald Trump did not get the memo, as he told reporters that Paddock had an “extremely bad brain.” The comment is not only untrue but could help perpetuate already dangerous stereotypes about those with mental health issues.
"I guess a lot of people think they understand what happened, but he was a demented, sick individual,” Trump told reporters at a Cabinet meeting Monday, Business Insider reports. “The wires were crossed pretty badly in his brain. Extremely badly in his brain. And it's a very sad event.”
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Politico reports that it is not clear what facts, if any, Trump's remark was based on, as a recent autopsy of the gunman's body revealed quite the opposite. The autopsy, Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo said, revealed no abnormalities in Paddock's brain. This means no brain tumors, no damage from drug or alcohol abuse, no chronic traumatic encephalopathy and no clear evidence of mental health disorders, according to the New York Post.
Two weeks ago, Paddock killed 58 people and injured over 500 when he opened fire during a country musical festival in Las Vegas. At the moment, no motive has emerged to explain what led the otherwise quiet retiree to conduct the most deadly mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
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Following the initial incident, some reports suggested that the shooter must have been suffering from a serious mental health problem, although he had never been diagnosed with such a condition. Some mental health experts fear that a false association of the mentally ill with violent acts could further emphasize an already existing stigma and cause some to avoid seeking help, including medication, for fear of being stigmatized.
In reality, the mentally ill are more often the victims of crime, not the culprits, according to The Hill. Statistics show that only 3 to 5 percent of all violent acts are committed by individuals with a mental illness, but a 1999 study shows this population is at higher risk than the general public of being victims of violent crimes, such as assault, rape or mugging.
As they try to figure out a motive behind Paddock’s crime, investigators will continue to delve into his personal history. But because he killed himself after his attack, we will likely never understand what drove him to callously murder so many people.
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