» Oregon District shooter was an armed counter-protester at Ku Klux Klan rally in May.
The man who killed nine people in Dayton’s Oregon District was seen carrying a gun and protesting against the Ku Klux Klan rally downtown in May.
Connor Betts, 24, was shot and killed by Dayton police during the Sunday morning rampage. Neither the police nor the FBI have identified a motive, though the federal authorities said Tuesday he “was exploring violent ideologies” before the shooting.
The May 25 rally attracted about 500 to 600 counter-protesters who opposed the nine Klansman who came from Indiana and protested in Courthouse Square. The counter-protest group was fenced off away from the Klansman and several people in the crowd were seen carrying firearms.
Betts wore a bandanna covering part of his face and sunglasses. He spoke briefly with a reporter in the crowd. He carried a gun that appeared to be similar in style to the one used in Sunday’s shooting.
In Sunday’s attack, Betts wielded a semi-automatic pistol that police say was modified to act like a rifle, with an attached drum magazine that could hold up to 100 .223-caliber rounds. Police say he may have had up to 250 rounds of ammunition on him, and they found a shotgun in his car.
Federal authorities have found no evidence that race was a motivating factor in Sunday’s attack, FBI Special Agent Todd Wickerham said Tuesday. Six of the nine people Betts killed were African American. Betts was white.
The Dayton Daily News reported Monday that a friend of Betts told police the would-be Dayton shooter discussed mass shootings. But the friend, Will El-Fakir, told the newspaper Betts was “definitely not a right-leaning person. His political views definitely leaned to the left.”
Voting records reviewed by the Dayton Daily News say Betts had been a registered Democrat.