Gunman kills 2, injures 9 in US theatre rampage

chicago — A lone gunman who opened fire in a crowded US movie theatre killing two people was a drifter who tried to escape before turning the gun on himself, police said on Friday. Police identified the gunman as 59-year-old John Houser, a White man originally from Alabama. He had been staying at a motel in Lafayette, Louisiana where authorities found glasses and wigs for disguises.

Houser apparently tried to flee the theatre after shooting 13 rounds from a single handgun, killing two white females aged 21 and 33, one of whom died in hospital, and injuring nine others before killing himself as police closed in.

“What happened is that the quick law enforcement response forced him back into the theater, at which time he shot himself,” police chief Jim Craft said. Louisiana state police chief Michael Edmonson said they were investigating Houser’s motive. —

lafayette (Louisiana) — A lone gunman opened fire inside a crowded movie theatre here on Thursday evening, killing two people and injuring seven others before taking his own life, police said.

Gunfire erupted during a 7pm showing of the film The incident took place almost three years to the day after 12 people were killed at a cinema in Aurora, Colorado.

Lafayette Police Chief Jim Craft said two people died in the hail of bullets before the 58-year-old suspect killed himself with a handgun as officers rushed to the scene shortly after 7:30pm.

Seven people were wounded, three of them critically, authorities said. One person underwent surgery and “was not doing well,” Craft said.

Authorities said they knew the gunman’s identity but were not releasing his name during the early stage of the investigation. They offered no immediate motive and did not disclose any clues they might have found. “The shooter is deceased. We may never know,” Craft said, adding that the man appeared to have a criminal history that he described as “pretty old.”

Police officials said that bombsniffing dogs had picked out a backpack inside the Grand 16 Theatre and that they had also signalled “suspicious” items inside the suspect’s car. A robot was being used to probe the vehicle further.

Investigators also headed to the gunman’s home. His body remained inside the theatre several hours later. None of the victims, who were described as ranging in age from teens to early 60s, were immediately identified by authorities.

Witnesses said the gunman abruptly stood up in the darkness of the theatre about 20 minutes into the movie and began shooting.

“He wasn’t saying anything. I didn’t hear anybody screaming either,” Katie Domingue, who was watching the film with her fiance, told the local newspaper. —