The 64-year-old gun maniac has left the US reeling after slaughtering 58 people and injuring more than 500 with an arsenal of “high powered” weapons from his hotel room.
His murderous attack on music festival revellers has confused his family, friends and neighbours, who have described him as an “ordinary guy”.
One neighbour, who claims to have lived close to Paddock in Mesquite, Nevada, for eight months, has said he refuses to believe the accountant was responsible for the bloodbath.
Speaking on US radio show The Savage Nation, the neighbour, called Rick, said Paddock was a “really nice guy” who “waved all the time”.
THEORY: Stephen Paddock’s former neighbour believes he did not carry out the massacre
He said: “I’m no longer in Mesquite, I’m in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but I was his neighbour for about seven or eight months in Mesquite.
“I can tell you 100% that this is not the kind of guy.
“I was there working and I saw him pretty much every other day on my way home.”
Rick said Paddock, a millionaire real estate magnate and gambler, used to “drink a few beers” and play the slot machines at a local bar in the area.
“It’s a set up. It know that sounds weird but it’s got to be a set up.”
Stephen Paddock’s neighbour
Stunned by his comments, talk show host Michael Savage reminded Rick that Paddock “just committed the greatest mass murder in A merica history”.
He then asked: “Are you sure it was him?”
In reply Rick said: “I’m 100% positive, I know exactly who the guy is.
“I was in the Marine Corps, and I’ve talked to this guy personally, we’ve drank beer together. We would just talk about nonsense stuff.
“I told him I was in the Marine Corps, but he never ever told me he owned a gun.”
Rick claimed that he has spoken to Las Vegas police to tell them “everything I know”
He went on: “I’m not a big conspiracy theory guy but it doesn’t sit right, I know this guy. I’ve drank beer with this guy.”
In response Michael pressed Rick to explain his theory, asking: “What is your instinct telling you?”
Rick said: “It’s a set up. It know that sounds weird but it’s got to be a set up.”
When asked if the body in the room may not be the shooter, Rick replied “exactly” without giving evidence.
Rick’s comments appear to be pure speculation and there is no evidence that Paddock was “set up”.
An autopsy is yet to take place, but Las Vegas police have confirmed Stephen Paddock is the shooter behind the massacre.
Detectives are yet to establish his motive for carrying out the attack on Route 91 Harvest Festival on Sunday night.
His brother Eric Paddock said he had no political or religious leanings and believes “something happened” and he “snapped”.
His girlfriend Marilou Danley has been taken in for questioning by the FBI.
She told agents that she has not idea why Paddock carried out the shooting, describing him as a “kind, caring, quiet man”.
