Moments after Houser fired off his weapon, a Hi-Point.40-caliber handgun, he also took his own life.
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“America is so sick that I now believe it to be the enemy of the world”, he wrote on one discussion forum.
Neither of them noticed the man just a few seats down until 20 minutes into the movie.
So, how was Houser, with a documented past of being violently mentally ill, able to legally purchase a gun?
He arrived on July 2 or 3 and had been staying in a motel, Craig said. A criminal complaint was later filed, accusing him of vandalizing the house.
President Barack Obama had told the BBC in an interview aired on Thursday before the shooting that his biggest frustration was the failure to pass “common-sense gun safety laws”. Police found disguises, including wigs and glasses, in his motel room. They appealed to the public for help in learning more about the gunman.
Breaux, of Franklin, Louisiana, was shot dead at the scene, and Johnson, who was from Lafayette, died a short time later at a hospital, police Chief Jim Craft said.
“It is apparent that he was intent on shooting and then escaping”, Craft said.
Houser killed both women and wounded the others after opening fire from the back of the theater before shooting himself, Craft said.
Theatergoers said the gunman sat alone and said nothing before he stood up and opened fire at the 7:10pm showing of Trainwreck at the Grand 16 theatre.
‘DRIFTER.’ An undated handout image released by the Lafayette Police Department of John Russell Houser.
“You would certainly wonder why – if all of those things were readily available and the information had been provided to the database, then why would he get one?” said State Police Col. Mike Edmondson. My thoughts and love go out to the victims and anyone touched by this madness or any madness.
An Arapahoe County jury last week found the Aurora theater shooter guilty of 165 counts – including 24 counts of first-degree murder.
The two women killed were 21-year-old Mayci Breaux, who was preparing to become a radiologist, and 33-year-old Jillian Johnson, who ran boutiques, played ukulele in a band and planted fruit trees for the homeless. Paul Mouton of Lafayette police: two listed in good condition at Lafayette General Medical Center and one in serious condition at Our Lady of Lourdes. Several prayer vigils and other services were held Friday, including one on Friday night on the campus of the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.
Police said Houser tried to flee after shooting 13 rounds from a single handgun into the crowded cinema in Lafayette, Louisiana Thursday evening. The licence plates on Houser’s vehicle also raised a red flag as they were recently switched. “I think it would have been soon”. “People were screaming”. “She was a once-in-a-lifetime gal. A mother, daughter, sister and a truly exceptional wife”, said a message on the store’s Facebook page.
“It’s very sad obviously but it does make you think twice”.
“Absolutely not. You gotta live your life”, said Atlas.
Gov. Bobby Jindal visited with some of the victims and their families at a local hospital.
He praised the “selfless heroism” of two wounded teachers.
“He made a lot of wild accusations”, said Floyd, who hosted the show on WLTZ-TV in Columbus for more than two decades. In 2008, after they filed a request for a protective order against him, Houser was ordered not to contact his wife, daughter, and other relatives.
Besides an uncle who died about 35 years ago, Houser, 59, didn’t have any known connection to the city of 120,000.
Houser “has a history of mental health issues, ie, manic depression and/or bi-polar disorder”, his estranged wife told the judge.
He was educated in accounting and law, and owned bars in Georgia – including one where he flew a Nazi banner out front as an anti-government statement.
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Hardin said he once partnered with Houser on a real-estate project, but they had a falling-out and hadn’t spoken since around 2007.
