The suspected gunman in the mass shooting at a music festival in Las Vegas has been named by police as 64-year-old Stephen Paddock.

At least 58 people were killed and more than 515 injured at the Route 91 country music event near the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino.

It is the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history, with the death toll surpassing the 49 killed at a nightclub in Orlando in June 2016.

Witnesses described seeing flashes of light high up in the tower of the hotel and a sound "like firecrackers" as "clip after clip" was unloaded into the 22,000-strong crowd.

Paddock, a grandfather from Mesquite, Nevada, is believed to have been firing down at concert-goers from the 32nd floor.

The first photo to eimerge of Stephen Paddock

A Swat team used a controlled explosion to enter the hotel room, where Paddock was found dead, according to a police statement.

Officials believe Paddock killed himself before the officers entered.

At least 10 guns were recovered from the room, where Paddock had been staying since Thursday.

Las Vegas Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said police had found nothing to suggest a motive for the attack.

When asked during a news conference why the police were not treating the incident as an act of terrorism, he said: "We have to establish what his motivation is first.

"There are motivating factors associated with terrorism other than a distraught person just intending to cause mass casualty. Before we label with that it will be a matter of process."

Isis later claimed responsibility for the massacre, saying the shooter was "a soldier of the Islamic State" who answered "calls to target coalition countries".

A statement published by the group's Amaq propaganda agency – which cannot be independently verified – claimed he “converted to Islam several months ago”.

The wording of the release is similar to other attacks believed to have been inspired, rather than directed, by Isis.

Special Agent Aaron Rouse of the FBI responded to the Isis statement saying: "As this event unfolds to this point we have determined no connection with an international terrorist group."

Stephen Paddock: Las Vegas gunman identified by police as 64-year-old white male

Records show Paddock, who lived in a three-year-old, $396,000 (£297,554) two-bedroom home in a small retirement and golf community in Mesquite, 80 miles north east of Las Vegas near the Arizona state border.

Local media said he had also previously lived in Reno, Nevada, California and Florida.

The suspect's brother, Eric Paddock, said the family was stunned that the 64-year-old was the suspected gunman.

“He was my brother and it’s like an asteroid fell out of the sky,” he told CNN.

In an interview with CBS he said his brother had “no religious affiliation, no political affiliation, he just hung out”.

He added: “He’s not an avid gun guy at all. The fact that he had those kind of weapons is just — where the hell did he get automatic weapons? He has no military background or anything like that.

"He’s just a guy who lived in a house in Mesquite, drove down and gambled in Las Vegas. He did stuff. Ate burritos.”

Las Vegas Police Department confirmed that two off-duty police officers were among those killed.

At least two on-duty officers were also injured. One was in a stable condition after surgery and another sustained minor injuries.

Shortly after the attack, police launched a public manhunt for a 62-year-old female companion of the shooter called Marilou Danley. They later located and questioned her, but said she was no longer a person of interest.

Donald Trump: Las Vegas massacre was an act of pure evil

US President Donald Trump responded to the massacre by saying the attack was an “act of pure evil”. He did not mention the issue of gun control.

“Our unity cannot be shattered by evil," he said. "Our bonds cannot be broken by violence. It is our love that defines us today, and always will forever.”

He added: “In times such as these, I know we are searching for some kind of meaning, some kind of light in the darkness. The answers do not come easy.”

Las Vegas shooting – in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Las Vegas shooting – in pictures Las Vegas shooting – in pictures People scramble for shelter at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after gun fire was heard Getty Las Vegas shooting – in pictures People carry a person at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after shots were fired David Becker/Getty Las Vegas shooting – in pictures People run from the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after gun fire was heard David Becker/Getty Las Vegas shooting – in pictures A handout photo released via Twitter by Eiki Hrafnsson (@EirikurH) showing concertgoers running away from the scene (C) after shots range out at the Route 91 Harvest festival on Las Vegas Boulevard EPA/Eiki Hrafnsson Las Vegas shooting – in pictures People lie on the ground at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after hearing gun fire Getty Las Vegas shooting – in pictures A man in a wheelchair is taken away from the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after hearing gun fire David Becker/Getty Las Vegas shooting – in pictures People stand on the street outside the Mandalay Bay hotel near the scene of the Route 91 Harvest festival on Las Vegas Boulevard EPA/Paul Buck Las Vegas shooting – in pictures FBI agents confer in front of the Tropicana hotel-casino after a mass shooting during a music festival on the Las Vegas Strip Reuters/Las Vegas Sun/Steve Marcus Las Vegas shooting – in pictures Las Vegas police run by a banner on the fence at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival grounds after shots were fired David Becker/Getty Las Vegas shooting – in pictures An injured person is tended to in the intersection of Tropicana Ave. and Las Vegas Boulevard after a mass shooting at a country music festival Ethan Miller/Getty Las Vegas shooting – in pictures Metro Police officers pass by the front of the Tropicana hotel-casino after a mass shooting at a music festival on the Las Vegas Strip Reuters/Las Vegas Sun/Steve Marcus Las Vegas shooting – in pictures A woman sits on a curb at the scene of a shooting outside of a music festival along the Las Vegas Strip AP/John Locher Las Vegas shooting – in pictures A cowboy hat lays in the street after shots were fired near a country music festival in Las Vegas Getty Las Vegas shooting – in pictures Las Vegas Metro Police and medical workers stage in the intersection of Tropicana Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard South after a mass shooting at a music festival on the Las Vegas Strip Reuters/Las Vegas Sun/Steve Marcus Las Vegas shooting – in pictures Sheriff Joe Lombardo (2-R) speaking during a press briefing in the aftermath of the active shooter incident on Las Vegas Boulevard EPA

In addition to demanding the right to bear arms the NRA has pushed for scrapping current restrictions that make it more difficult to but silencers for guns.

“The crowd fled at the sound of gunshots,” Ms Clinton said. “Imagine the deaths if the shooter had a silencer, which the NRA wants to make easier to get.”