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29 killed in two US mass shootings within hours
EL PASO, United States, Aug 4, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Two mass shootings in the
United States have left 29 people dead within 24 hours, the latest such
attacks in a nation torn over how to tackle gun violence.
A gunman armed with an assault rifle killed 20 people Saturday when he
opened fire on shoppers at a packed Walmart store in El Paso, Texas.
Less than 13 hours later, a lone shooter killed nine people in Dayton,
Ohio early Sunday before being shot dead by responding police officers.
“We have nine victims deceased… and we have approximately 16 more
victims hospitalized right now in unknown conditions,” Dayton Police
Lieutenant Colonel Matt Carper said.
The attacker opened fire around 1:00 am Sunday (0500 GMT) on a street in
the popular bar and nightlife Oregon district.
Police were working to identify the shooter and the FBI were on the scene.
“Fortunately we had multiple officers in the immediate vicinity when this
incident started so there was a very short timeline of violence, for that
we’ve very fortunate,” he said, praising the swift response by officers.
“As bad as this is, it could have been much, much worse.”
Carper said the investigation would continue through the night but the
attack appeared to be the work of a lone shooter.
The incident came just hours after the mass shooting at a Walmart store in
Texas which has reignited debate about the US “epidemic” of gun violence.
President Donald Trump described the El Paso attack as “an act of
cowardice” and police are treating it as a possible hate crime.
One suspect was taken into custody while authorities were studying an
extremist manifesto purportedly written by the gunman.
Footage shot with cellphones appeared to show multiple bodies lying on the
ground in the store’s parking lot while other footage showed terrified
shoppers running out of the store as gunfire echoed.
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– Two to 82 years –
Police chief Greg Allen confirmed that in addition to the 20 confirmed
fatalities in El Paso, there were 26 wounded.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said three Mexican citizens
were killed and Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said six others were wounded.
Various news reports said the ages of victims being treated at hospitals
ranged from two to 82 years.
Police said that Walmart was “at capacity” at the time of the shooting,
with 1,000-3,000 customers inside.
A 21-year-old from Allen, Texas, was the only person in custody, police
confirmed. US media identified him as Patrick Crusius, who is white. He
surrendered to police about a block away from the Walmart.
“Right now we have a manifesto from this individual that indicates to some
degree, it has a nexus to potential hate crime,” Allen said.
The “manifesto” purportedly written by Crusius that was circulated online
includes passages railing against the “Hispanic invasion” of Texas and the
author makes clear that he expected to be killed during his attack.
Witnesses said the gunman appeared to be shooting at random when he opened
fire around 10:30 am.
One woman, who gave her name as Vanessa, said she had just pulled into the
Walmart parking lot when the shooting began.
“You could hear the pops, one right after another and at that point as I
was turning, I saw a lady, seemed she was coming out of Walmart, headed to
her car. She had her groceries in her cart and I saw her just fall,” she told
Fox News.
The witness said the gunman wore a black T-shirt, combat trousers and
earmuffs.
“He was just shooting randomly. It wasn’t to any particular person. It was
any that would cross paths.”
Another shopper described how he managed to avoid being hit by hiding
along with his mother between two vending machines just outside the store.
“That’s where the individual tried to shoot at me, which he missed cause I
kind of ducked down,” Robert Curado told the El Paso Times.
“He had an AK-47.”
– ‘Act of cowardice’ –
Video captured by a witness in the parking lot in the immediate aftermath
of the shooting showed three people lying motionless on the ground.
One had fallen next to a truck, while two were on the sidewalk outside the
store entrance.
“Ambulance! Help!” people cried as they rushed to the victims.
A still captured from CCTV showed the gunman carrying what appeared to be
an AK-47 assault rifle.
Beto O’Rourke, a former US congressman for El Paso who is now running for
president, cut off his campaigning in the wake of the shooting.
“I’m incredibly saddened and it’s very hard to think about this. But I
tell you El Paso is the strongest place in the world, this community is going
to come together,” he told supporters.
Elizabeth Warren, a senator who is among the frontrunners for the
Democratic party’s presidential nomination, said: “We must act now to end our
country’s gun violence epidemic.”
BSS/AFP/FI/ 1722 hrs