The left-wing Dayton, Ohio shooter brandished what appeared to be the same weapon he used this past weekend to kill nine people when he participated in an anti-KKK rally back in May.
The Ohio tragedy came less than a day after an anti-immigrant killer murdered 20 people at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas on Saturday. Connor Betts’ rampage through a bar strip in downtown Dayton ended when he was shot dead by police.
Brought gun to anti-Klan rally
Weeks before, Betts was spotted in downtown Dayton strapped with an assault-style weapon similar to the one he used in the shooting, the Dayton Daily News reported. He was in a crowd of 500 to 600 counter-protesters, some armed, who gathered to oppose nine KKK members from Indiana.
The two groups were separated by a barrier. Betts was reportedly not formally affiliated with any political group present on the scene.
A photojournalist at the event who knew the shooter from high school said that he indeed recognized him that day. His face was covered in a bandana and sunglasses. The two spoke briefly and Betts told him, “you don’t know me.”
The Dayton shooter killed nine people and wounded dozens of others during his rampage before being gunned down himself. The El Paso shooter, by contrast, was taken alive and may face the death penalty.
Disturbing history
The back-to-back shootings have brought a firestorm of political controversy as Democrats and mainstream media outlets blame Trump for the El Paso shooting, which was linked with a manifesto that mentioned a “Hispanic invasion of Texas.”
But the Dayton shooting has attracted comparatively less media attention, perhaps because of the ideology of the killer.
Betts was a registered Democrat. A friend said that he discussed mass shootings and was “definitely not a right-leaning person. His political views definitely leaned to the left.”
Authorities said that he was “exploring violent ideologies” before the shooting. His Twitter profile read, “he/him / anime fan / metalhead / leftist / i’m going to hell and i’m not coming back.”
People who knew Betts said he was known to be a disturbed individual who kept lists of classmates he wanted to rape and murder. He was said to be in favor of gun control and was a supporter of Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). He also had a fascination with Satan.
“He knew it wasn’t normal,” a former classmate said.
No comments: