Why did he do it? Questions arise in aftermath of Las Vegas shooting

Was the shooter part of a conspiracy? Or was it simply the devil at work?

Why did Stephen Paddock unleash a hail of bullets on thousands of innocent people? In the aftermath of the deadliest, individually perpetrated mass shooting in American history, people are struggling to find answers and meaning behind this tragic event. Here's what we know so far.

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) -- On the night of October 1, Stephen Paddock opened fire on the Route 91 Harvest country music festival. He fired from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel, where he had rented a large room. He had been staying there since September 28.

Paddock was retired, he was a compulsive gambler who could lose as much as $10,000 in a single day. He also had no formal firearm training, but still amassed an arsenal of weapons, purchasing them from local dealers in Las Vegas.

Dealers who remember Paddock say he seemed like a normal person. They saw nothing to alarm them as they sold him weapons. He passed his background checks, and had no criminal record.

Other than his compulsive gambling, there was apparently no warning for his behavior to come on the night of October 1.

On that night, Paddock locked himself into his room with at least ten, if not many more firearms, some modified to operate in fully automatic mode. Several of his weapons were illegal under federal law. Using a hammer, he smashed out two windows in his room, and began firing down on the crowd of 22,000 people across the street.

Paddock killed at least 59 people, and wounded almost 600 others over the next ten minutes.

Police quickly arrived at his door, but he fired though the door to discourage them. It took authorities 72 minutes, from the time shooting started, to breach his door with explosives. When they entered, Paddock was dead due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Following the attack, the search for answers began. The Islamic State claimed he was one of theirs. The FBI denied the claim, saying there was no evidence to support it. Paddock's family was interviewed, and they said his behavior was unexpected and inexplicable. His brother, Eric Paddock told the media that Stephen had no military background. "Where the hell did he get automatic weapons?" he asked.

Some astute members of the public have already pointed out his lack of military training, which appears to be at odds with his selection of the perfect firing point, and effective use of high-powered weapons. They ask if Paddock had help, and if there is more to this story than what we have been told.

The truth of the matter is probably so mundane it will satisfy nobody.

Paddock was a compulsive gambler whose debts were mounting. He developed a taste for firearms and became a collector. He may have fantasized about carrying out such a deed. One day, he was triggered, so he carefully planned his attack, then carried it out. It does not take much genius to choose a high room, close as possible to a target, and to spray fully automatic weapons fire down onto a crowd of 22,000 people.

Man is a fallen creature. There is never a good reason to do evil, yet we choose evil all the time. Our hearts are easily corrupted, becoming twisted. We lose empathy, we lose our social connections, we become estranged from one another, and from God. Under these circumstances, it is hardly a surprise that such evil becomes possible.

There is only one cure for this problem, and that is conversion of the heart. Such conversion can only come about though prayer.

This is why prayer is so critical to peace and well-being. Only though prayer can we convert our hearts and the hearts of those around us. There is no way to know how many evil deeds have been prevented by prayer, the devil doesn't talk about his losses. However, we can rest assured that without our prayers, and without conversion of the heart, the world would be much worse than what it is today, and that is reason enough to keep praying.