FBI opens investigations into shootings in Dayton, Gilroy
DAYTON, Ohio — The shooter who killed nine people in Dayton, Ohio, had expressed a desire to commit a mass shooting and showed an interest in violent ideology, investigators said Tuesday as the FBI announced it is opening an investigation.
Federal investigators will try to determine what ideologies influenced Connor Betts, 24, who might have helped him or knew in advance of his plan, and why he chose the specific target of Dayton’s Oregon entertainment district for the shooting early Sunday, said Special Agent Todd Wickerham, the head of the FBI’s Cincinnati field office
Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl said Betts had “violent ideations that include mass shootings and had expressed a desire to commit a mass shooting.”
Wickerham didn’t say whether the FBI is looking at whether the case could be treated as domestic terrorism, as the agency has done in the El Paso, Texas, mass shooting earlier in the weekend. He said Betts hadn’t been on the FBI’s radar.
He declined to discuss what specific ideologies might be linked to Betts’ actions but said there was no evidence so far that they were racially motivated.
Federal authorities have launched a domestic terrorism investigation into the shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in California after officials discovered the gunman had a list of other potential targets, authorities said Tuesday.
John Bennett, FBI special agent in charge, said the garlic festival was one of several potential targets listed. Others included religious organizations, courthouses, federal buildings and political institutions involving both the Republican and Democratic parties. He declined to provide specifics.
Santino William Legan, 19, opened fire at the popular Northern California food festival on the evening of July 28, killing three people and wounding 13 more before killing himself with a self-inflicted gunshot as responding police officers fired multiple shots at him.
Authorities are continuing to try to determine a motive for the attack and investigate Legan’s background. Authorities have not determined whether he was a white nationalist, but they have not ruled it out either, Bennett said.
“We have uncovered evidence that the shooter was exploring violent ideologies,” he said.
Meanwhile, public conversation around the shooting in Dayton shifted Tuesday toward how to address people with mental health issues who might pose a threat of violence, as a woman who briefly dated the gunman recounted their bonding over struggles with mental illness and the governor called for more mental health support along with gun safety measures.
Investigators haven’t publicly offered a motive for why Betts, wearing a mask and body armor, opened fire with an AR-15style gun outside a strip of nightclubs in Dayton early Sunday, killing his sister and eight others before officers fatally shot him less than 30 seconds into his rampage.
A woman who said she briefly dated him earlier this year wrote in an online essay that Betts had “dark thoughts,” including about wanting to hurt people.
Adelia Johnson, 24, said they met in a college psychology class and bonded over dealing with mental illness, which she said allowed Betts to open up.
Johnson said she was in treatment but that Betts “didn’t want to seek help because of the stigma.” He told her he thought he had mental illnesses including bipolar disorder, she said.
“When he started joking about his dark thoughts, I understood,” she wrote. “Dark thoughts for someone with a mental illness are just a symptom that we have to learn how to manage.”
Johnson said on their first date, Betts showed her a video of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting. She said Betts had “uncontrollable urges” that she called “red flags,” which eventually led her to call things off in May.
The Los Angeles Times contributed.