Yellow Springs native living in El Paso reflects on shooting
A local man and his family living in El Paso, Texas, were not harmed in a mass shooting on Saturday when authorities say 22 people were killed and dozens more injured after a gunman, Patrick Crusius, 21, opened fire inside a crowded Walmart.
John Scott, a 1993 graduate of Yellow Springs High School, is part of the 1st Armored Division with its base of operations in Fort Bliss in El Paso.
Scott and his family, wife Gwen and their kids, were in the city when the mass shooting happened on Saturday, but were not in harm’s way.
“We are doing well,” Scott said. “I also believe that all my friends and family in the Dayton area are doing fine. It is somewhat surreal to have a mass shooting a couple miles from my house. We go to the mall and the movies over at Cielo Vista.”
After learning of the mass shooting in Dayton the next day, Scott said it was a tough message to receive.
“I woke up to a shooting in Dayton knowing that I have friends that own businesses, work in restaurants, and hang out in the Oregon District,” he said.
His duties as a chaplain are needed in El Paso and he was on duty to help military deal with the tragedy.
“I will be one of the chaplains supporting the military liaison,” Scott said. “We are there in case we find that a military family has been affected.”
Authorities are investigating the massacre as an act of domestic terrorism, and Crusius could also be charged with a hate crime in federal court. Authorities are looking into whether he posted a racist, anti-immigrant screed on the internet shortly before Saturday’s attack. Authorities previously said Texas will seek the death penalty for Crusius.
In his application for a public defender, Crusius said that he has been unemployed for five months and has no income or assets.