US rocked by two mass shootings in 24 hours
Nine dead in Ohio attack after El Paso massacre kills 20
At least 29 people were killed and dozens wounded in two separate mass shootings as the US was rocked by a weekend of gun violence. The latest incident came early Sunday when ten people, including the suspect, were killed in a shooting in Dayton, Ohio, and at least 16 others were taken to hospital with injuries, police said.
Authorities gave no details about the circumstances of the shooting except that it occurred in the city’s Oregon district, a historic neighbourhood known for its nightclubs, bars, art galleries and shops.
The incident followed a gun attack on a crowded shopping mall in El Paso, a Texan city close to the US border with Mexico, on Saturday in which at least 20 people were killed and 26 wounded.
El Paso police identified the gunman as Patrick Crusius, a 21-year-old white male from Allen, Texas, following the shooting at a Walmart store and elsewhere at the Cielo Vista Mall, one of the largest malls in El Paso, on
Saturday morning.
Greg Allen, El Paso police chief, said the killings could be a potential hate crime after police officers uncovered “a manifesto” linked to the suspect, whom he would not name.
“That might step on the FBI’S toes, but for now we’re taking this down the road of simply a murder investigation with numerous casualties,” Mr Allen said.
The suspect, who comes from a city more than 650 miles away from El Paso, faces several capital murder charges. US media reported that the anti-hispanic manifesto posted on social media had expressed sympathy for the Christchurch mass killer, who murdered 51 in New Zealand.
The FBI said more investigation was needed before the killer’s motives were determined.
El Paso police said they had been assisted at the crime scene by the FBI, the sheriff’s office, and border patrol. “Everyone that carries a badge in this town pretty much turned up,” said Mr Allen. “Needless to say, the scene is horrific at the moment.”
Sgt Robert Gomez earlier told reporters that “little to minimum force” was used to take the suspect into custody, and that no officers fired their weapons.
In a press conference, Texas governor Greg Abbott thanked law enforcement agencies for the “swift response they took to minimise the loss of life by directly confronting the shooter, getting him to disarm himself, and being able to arrest him”.
Ryan Mielke, director of public affairs at the University Medical Center of El Paso, said the hospital had received 13 victims, one of whom had died, while some remained in a critical condition. A second hospital — the Del Sol Medical Center — also received 11 victims, it said in a statement.
White House deputy press secretary Steven Groves said that US president Donald Trump had been briefed on the shooting, and had spoken with attorney-general William Barr and Mr Abbott.
Mr Trump later tweeted: “Today’s shooting in El Paso, Texas was not only tragic, it was an act of cowardice. I know that I stand with everyone in this Country to condemn today’s hateful act. There are no reasons or excuses that will ever justify killing innocent people.”