Trump: Massacre ‘not a guns situation’

TOKYO: US President Donald Trump said yesterday the mass shooting in a Texas church that left at least 26 people dead was due to a “mental health problem” and wasn’t “a guns situation”.

“We have a lot of mental health problems in our country, as do other countries. But this isn’t a guns situation,” he said.

The gunman, carrying an assault rifle, opened fire on Sunday after entering First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, killing worshippers ranging in age from five to 72.

After the shooting, the suspect, described as a white man in his twenties, was fired on by a resident.

He fled in his vehicle and was later found dead. It was not immediately clear if the suspect killed himself or was shot dead.